Internal and emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of a structured physical activity intervention on measures of physical performance in frail elderly patients after cardiac rehabilitation: a pilot study with 1-year follow-up.
The objective of this prospective randomized controlled study was to compare the long-term effects of a structured physical activity intervention with those of aerobic exercises alone, in a cohort of elderly patients who had undergone elective cardiac surgery, and who were classified as frail at the end of rehabilitation based on their Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score. At the end of rehabilitation, 140 frail elderly patients were randomly allocated either to the intervention group (IG) or to the control group (CG). CG participants received the usual aerobic exercise prescription, while IG participants were also taught additional exercises for strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. ⋯ IG also showed a significantly higher proportion of participants who improved their SPPB score of at least 1 point (70 vs. 37%, p < 0.001). In conclusions, our structured physical activity intervention significantly improves the SPPB score in frail elderly patients who have undergone elective cardiac surgery. An intervention that improves the SPPB score might delay the occurrence of mobility disability.
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Comparative Study
Cardio pump reloaded: in-hospital resuscitation during transport.
High-quality chest compressions are crucial during resuscitation if a positive outcome is to be achieved. Sometimes a patient must be transported within the hospital while chest compressions are being performed. We compared different chest compression devices [animax mono (AM), AutoPulse(®) (AP) and LUCAS2™ (L2)] with manual chest compression using a manikin during transport from a fifth floor ward to the cardiac catheterization laboratory in the basement. ⋯ Devices maintain the same compression depth, but fell short of current guidelines, as did manual compressions. Some interruptions occurred while the devices were set up. Further, patient studies are necessary to determine the clinical utility of these devices.