Referral pattern of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

The referral pattern of 334 patients admitted to a neurosurgical clinic with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) was analyzed. Forty-nine percent of the patients were admitted after the day following the SAH. Failure of patients to seek prompt medical care was a cause of delay in 29 patients and of physician diagnostic errors in 95 patients. Common misdiagnoses included migraine, mental exhaustion, sinusitis, and influenza. A delay at the referring hospital was observed in 97 patients. Eary intervention is important for the optimal management of patients with SAH. Educating the public, medical students, and physicians about the signs and symptoms of SAH and the importance of prompt therapy is likely to improve overall outcome after aneurysmal rupture. © 1988.