Respiratory disorders in stroke include abnormal breathing patterns, hypoxemic and hypercapnic respiratory failure, aspiration pneumonia due to an inability to protect the airways and clear the airway by coughing, and acute pulmonary embolism due to prolonged immobilization. The aim of this study is to assess the role of mechanical ventilation in the prognosis of patients admitted to the ICU with cerebrovascular stroke. The study was carried out over a one year period, from the first of October 2004 till the end of September 2005. These included 35 patients with cerebrovascular stroke. The mean age for group І is (58.93 years), with (60%) males and (40%) females, and for group П is (62.5) years with (66.7%) males and (33.3%) females. five variables were found to be independent predictors of death at one week: GCS score on admission <10, and need for intubation and MV because of coma, brain edema and midline shift at the CT on admission, pneumonia on admission, and hyperventilation. And surgical intervention at the appropriate time and when indicated was found to be a predictor of good prognosis