Abstract

Stroke is an increasingly prevalent and serious condition in Côte d'Ivoire. Typically, this condition is managed in a continuous care unit and necessitates polypharmacy. The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacotherapeutic approach and assess the availability of pharmaceutical drugs used in stroke management. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study by reviewing patient records admitted to the intensive care unit from December 2017 to January 2020. The analysis of seventy-eight patient files revealed a predominance of females (sex ratio: 0.95) and a higher incidence of hemorrhagic strokes (71%) with an average age of approximately 58 years (ranging from 28 to 88 years). The prominent risk factors included hypertension (88.46%), diabetes (60.26%), a history of alcoholism (15.38%), and 48% of the prescribed drugs (both specific and non-specific) were available at the pharmacy. These drugs fell into the following categories: Hormonal systemic preparations (100%); blood and hematopoietic organ drugs (83.3%); medications for the digestive system (57.1%); anti-infective drugs for systemic use (55.5%); Nervous system drugs (35.2%); and Cardiovascular system medications (28.6%). Rapid diagnosis followed by targeted treatment could significantly improve the patient's prognosis. Furthermore, allocating additional financial resources for the purchase of medications and creating a health product booklet tailored to intensive care unit practices could streamline the work of clinicians.

Key words: ATC classification, drugs availability, hypertension, molecules profile, stroke treatment.