Smartphone ownership and use of mental health applications by psychiatric inpatients.

Little is known about the use of mental health smartphone applications during the greatest period of vulnerability - immediately following discharge from a psychiatric inpatient unit. Currently, no data are available regarding smartphone ownership or technology literacy of individuals who receive inpatient psychiatric treatment. The goal of this study was to determine psychiatric inpatients' smartphone ownership, current uses of, and interest in utilizing apps to aid in mental health treatment after discharge.

Changing practice and costs of carotid endarterectomy in Toronto, Canada.

Background And Purpose: During our annual audits of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in Toronto metropolitan hospitals, we have been aware of major changes in the practice of this operation in recent years. To evaluate the effect of changing practice on costs of carotid endarterectomy, we have therefore compared the effects of changes in length of stay, complication rates, and other variables on cost during the last 3 years for which we have complete data.

Methods: We evaluated 757 consecutive patients, of whom 600 had CEA procedures in 3 teaching hospitals, and 190 procedures in 2 community hospitals in metropolitan Toronto.

Mass effect and death from severe acute stroke.

Background: In severe acute stroke, the degree of midline cerebral displacement is related to level of consciousness but not to survival. Early identification of patients at high risk of death from mass effect would assist patient management decisions.

Methods: We measured lesion volume, horizontal pineal displacement (PD), and horizontal septum pellucidum displacement (SD) on axial CT of consecutive patients with severe (Canadian Neurological Scale score < or = 5) acute hemispheric stroke.

Cost considerations in the pharmacological prevention and treatment of stroke.

Stroke remains the leading cause of neurological disability and the third leading cause of death worldwide, consuming a large share of total healthcare expenditures. In this review, we discuss the cost effectiveness of stroke prevention for various risk factor-modification programmes and pharmacological interventions with aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), ticlopidine and warfarin. Cost considerations and potential cost savings resulting from acute treatment are discussed for parenterally administered anticoagulants, such as heparin and nadroparin, and for intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator; r-tPA).

Simple visual analysis of brain perfusion on HMPAO SPECT predicts early outcome in acute stroke.

Background And Purpose: Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is used in patients with acute stroke but as yet is of controversial value. We investigated an association of brain perfusion changes in stroke patients with stroke severity, volume of brain damage, and recovery.

Methods: Consecutive patients with hemispheric stroke were studied prospectively with serial neurological examinations using the Canadian Neurological Scale (CNS), CT.

Cost of acute stroke care in Toronto, Canada.

Background And Purpose: Stroke cost consumes a large proportion of the gross domestic product in all developed countries, and while health care costs are rising, the ability to contain them is diminishing.

Methods: We calculated the cost of acute stroke care for all first admissions to a teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada, in 1991 through 1992 for 285 consecutive patients.

Results: The average cost per patient was $27,500 Canadian, and strokes in men cost less than in women ($23,000 versus $32,000 Canadian), for a total cost of $8 million Canadian over 2 years.