Cardiac and respiratory monitoring of acute stroke patients.

This study evaluates physiologic monitoring as a tool for improved nursing observation of acute stroke patients. Forty-four patients admitted within 48 hours of onset of stroke were monitored using an automated arrhythmia detection system and impedance pneumography. Cardiac arrhythmias were observed in 25 of 44 patients. Three patients with episodes of atrial fibrillation were digitalized and converted to normal sinus rhythm. Respiratory patterns were intermittently abnormal in 39 of 44 patients. The presence of intermittent Cheyne-Strokes respirations or tachypnea was associated with an increased mortality rate. Cardiac monitoring appears to be a useful tool for prompt detection of potentially serious arrhythmias in stroke patients. Respiratory monitoring is useful for detection of abnormalities of respiratory rate and pattern; these abnormalities may serve as an early indicator of change in neurologic status.