Gattringer T, et al. - Using data from the nationwide Austrian Stroke Unit Registry and multivariate regularized logistic regression analysis, researchers developed a rapidly applicable tool to predict early mortality in the stroke unit. Among 77,653 ischemic stroke patients, they found age, stroke severity measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, prestroke functional disability (modified Rankin Scale >0), preexisting heart disease, diabetes mellitus, posterior circulation stroke syndrome, and nonlacunar stroke cause correlated to mortality; these factors were then used to build the Predicting Early Mortality of Ischemic Stroke score, which ranged from 0 to 12 points. They discovered cases with a score of ≥10 had a 35% chance of dying within the first days in the stroke unit. Overall, they concluded that this score could help clinicians to predict management and counseling in the short term.