Stroke Units, Stroke Registries and Acute Management (R)evolutions

Over the past 30 years, stroke units have become the gold standard for inpatient stroke care. Nowadays, all patients hospitalized for stroke should be assessed by trained staff. Improved outcomes have been reported in patients treated in stroke units; therefore, international guidelines were redacted and now highlight that every kind of patient should be treated in stroke units because no subtype, no severity of stroke, and no age group modify the outcomes. These improved outcomes have been assigned to the work of a multidisciplinary team that could better manage early complications. Stroke registers have become a useful tool in clinical practice, facilitating the collection of epidemiological data on stroke and contributing to progressive improvements in the quality of care. There are many ongoing challenges, but the most important contemporary challenge is how to manage stroke unit care in low-income countries.