Prospective validation of the ICH score for long term mortality and functional outcome: A study from North India

The Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH) Score is commonly used in patients of ICH as a grading tool which assesses clinical outcome after ICH. It has undergone validation for 30 days mortality in various studies but data on its validation for long term outcome is limited. The aim of this study was to assess whether ICH Score accurately categorizes ICH patients with regard to mortality and functional outcome at 3 months. This was a prospective observational study which included patients reporting to emergency department of a superspeciality care hospital with acute intracerebral hemorrhage over one year period. Components of ICH Score and baseline parameters were recorded. The functional outcome was assessed using modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 3 months post ICH. Of the 70 patients included in the study, 42(60%) patients survived at 3 months and out of them 26(37.1%) patients had a good outcome on mRS scale at 3 months. The ICH score correctly stratified patients with respect to mortality and functional outcome at 3 months as assessed by dichotomous cut points along the mRS. To conclude, the ICH Score is a valid score used in intracerebral hemor-rhage for assessing mortality and functional outcome at 3 months.