We aimed with the present study to fi ll the gap on the performance and safety of stroke management and the costs related to hospitalizations, the relevant comorbidities associated with stroke patients, and the stroke patient outcomes health-related quality of life (HRQOL) progress. Our study investigated the clinical, neurological, and social impact of stroke in 220 patients in a tertiary hospital located in the countryside of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Description of clinical and neurological characteristics of stroke patients between 2015 to 2020 was analyzed using electronic medical records. The most affected age group was 61-80 years, being female the most affected sex. Almost 89.5% of the patients had some risk factor, with a higher prevalence of ischemic stroke. This type of stroke was the expensive, in terms of hospitalization, with an average cost of $74.10. Considering the stroke-specifi c quality of life scale (SSQOL) score, 88.3% of patients who demonstrated some comorbidity and 47.6% of women had lower quality of life levels post-stroke. Our data could be useful to substantiate a data-base with epidemiology statistics characterization of stroke hospitalizations, indicating the severity of stroke for the patient.

Although a protocol for immediate postoperative thirst management has been applied clinically in a discrete way, most surgical and nursing teams remain neglected, unlike other complications in the postoperative period. This pilot study aimed to demonstrate if the ice popsicles promote thirst satiety and subsequently investigate the mechanism involved in this process. Twenty-fi ve volunteers in the immediate postoperative period were recruited to participate in this study conducted in a tertiary medical center in southern Brazil. In this protocol, ice popsicles decreased the intensity and discomfort of thirst. Relevantly, all patients (100%) demonstrated satiety after ice popsicles administrated in the immediate postoperative period. Altogether, ice popsicles constitute a promising, innovative, and simple strategy for the management of thirst, mainly after surgery, adding to patient comfort and the security of the health team that manages it.