Relationship between the national institutes health stroke scale score and bispectral index in patients with acute ischemic stroke

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the bispectral index and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score in patients admitted to the emergency department with a first-time acute ischemic stroke. Methods: This prospective, observational study was conducted with patients admitted to our clinic with acute ischemic stroke symptoms. Patients with known cranial pathologies, such as space- occupying lesions, those with a history of clinically significant cerebrovascular events or sedative drug administration, and those with altered consciousness due to metabolic causes were excluded from the study. The National Institutes Health Stroke Scale scores were recorded by the clinician. Cerebral arterial territories were assessed on DWI and CT. The relationship between the NIHSS score and bispectral index was evaluated. Results: Forty-three patients were included in the study. The mean bispectral index of the cases was 84.23 ± 9.50. There was no significant correlation between the bispectral index values and the NIHSS score (p<0.05). Conclusion: In our study, the bispectral index values were decreased due to ischemic stroke. The results should be reevaluated studies conducted with larger series to reveal the relationship between infarcted territories, NIHSS score, bispectral index, and the GCS score.