Clinical interventions in aging
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The in-hospital death rate in cases of hip fracture ranges from 6% to 10%. Pneumonia is a serious complication for hip fracture patients that contributes to longer hospital stays and higher mortality rates; however, the prevalence and risk factors are not well established. To address this issue, the present study investigated the incidence of and risk factors for in-hospital postoperative pneumonia (IHPOP) following geriatric intertrochanteric fracture surgery. ⋯ The incidence of IHPOP was 3.5% following geriatric intertrochanteric fracture surgery; age, male sex, chronic respiratory disease, liver disease, urinary tract infection, CKMB, BNP, and d-dimer were significant risk factors. Targeted preoperative management based on these factors could reduce the risk of IHPOP and mortality in these patients.
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Older adults should be routinely screened for sarcopenia, which threatens healthy, independent aging. The most popular screening tool is the SARC-F questionnaire. As its sensitivity is unsatisfactory, two modified versions of the questionnaire have been published: SARC-CalF (including calf circumference as an additional item) and SARC-F+EBM (assessing additionally age and Body Mass Index). The diagnostic performance of the three versions of the questionnaire has not been compared. The analysis aimed to assess the diagnostic value of SARC-F, SARC-CalF, and SARC-F+EBM questionnaires, and to compare their psychometric properties against two reference standards of sarcopenia diagnosis, ie, EWGSOP1 and modified EWGSOP2 criteria. ⋯ The modified versions of SARC-F have better diagnostic performance as compared to the original questionnaire. Since an ideal screening tool should have reasonably high sensitivity and specificity, and an AUC value above 0.7, the SARC-CalF (33/34cm) seems to be the best screening tool for sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A Randomized Controlled Trial of FNB versus FICB for Patients with Femoral Neck Fractures Before Spinal Anesthesia.
Patients with femoral neck fractures often suffer severe pain. This randomized controlled clinical study compared the effect of femoral nerve block (FNB) and fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) in this population. ⋯ FNB and FICB produce similar analgesic effects in patients with femoral neck fractures, but FNB has a more rapid onset of pain relief.
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The Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) is a self-report user-friendly questionnaire for assessing multidimensional frailty among community-dwelling older people. The main aim of this study is to re-evaluate the validity of the TFI, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, focusing on the predictive value of the total TFI and its physical, psychological, and social domains for adverse outcomes disability, indicators of healthcare utilization, and falls. ⋯ The present study provided new, additional evidence for the validity of the TFI for assessing frailty in Dutch community-dwelling older people aiming to prevent or delay adverse outcomes, including disability.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of an Alveolar Recruitment Maneuver During Lung Protective Ventilation on Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Elderly Patients Undergoing Laparoscopy.
Controversy remains over whether alveolar recruitment maneuvers (ARMs) can reduce postoperative pulmonary complications. We hypothesized that performing an ARM in addition to lung protective ventilation (LPV) could improve intraoperative arterial oxygenation and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopy in the Trendelenburg position. ⋯ This study suggests that performing an ARM during LPV may not improve postoperative respiratory outcomes and intraoperative oxygenation compared to LPV alone in geriatric patients undergoing laparoscopy in the Trendelenburg position. In addition, since the ARM could cause a significant deterioration in hemodynamic parameters, applying ARM to elderly patients should be carefully considered.