falls in geriatric patients

Fall is a common cause of disability and death in old adults, and much research has been focused on identifying risk factors and developing preventive measures. Yet the majority of preceding research has been focused on physical performance. This study aims to evaluate the association between fall and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling elderly. Cross-sectional data of 431 men and 546 women was collected from old Korean adults living in Seongnam, Korea. Geriatric fall assessment was conducted by self-report questionnaires...

With an increased popularity of sport and active living worldwide, our study aims to explore the incidence and features of sports-related orbital fractures in Singapore. 1421 computer tomography (CT) imaging scans of the face and orbits done at the National University Hospital over a 24-month period from January 2013 and December 2014 were reviewed retrospectively for orbital fractures. We identified 483 orbital fractures of which sports injury was the fourth most common etiology (n = 65; 13.5%) after road traffic accident (n = 131; 27...

Dizziness/vertigo, falls and syncope are among the most common reasons for seeking medical care. As clinical entities they share common pathogenetic and clinical features and differences. The diagnostic work-up can often be initiated in a general practitioner's or internist's practice and, if necessary, completed in an interdisciplinary emergency unit. Simple diagnostic tools can be used in an outpatient setting to obtain valuable diagnostic information. First and foremost, it is important to differentiate between prognostically favorable clinical events and potentially serious disease...

BACKGROUND: Frailty exhibits a high prevalence in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and is associated with adverse health-related outcomes, including falls and fractures. Available studies do not address whether frailty is associated with temporal changes in BMD. We evaluated this issue by analyzing the follow-up dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) results in an ESRD cohort. METHODS: In 2015, we enrolled forty-three ESRD patients, divided into frail, pre-frail, and robust ones based on a validated simple FRAIL scale, all receiving DXA at baseline...

INTRODUCTION: Posterior locked lateral compression injury (PLLCI) of the pelvic ring is an infrequent variant of lateral compression injury, a condition described in only eight reported cases since 2000. Lateral compression injury usually results from high-energy trauma and is characterized by locking between the medially translated fractured ilium and the anterior border of the sacrum, regardless of whether the fractured ilium involves the sacroiliac joint. However, in our experience, lateral compression injury can also result from low-energy trauma as a manifestation of pelvic fragility fracture...

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of fractures in the elderly population is a clinical challenge due partly to the presence of comorbidities. In a Geriatric Fracture Centre (GFC), patients are co-managed by a geriatrician in an attempt to improve clinical outcomes and reduce morbidity and mortality. Until now the beneficial effect of orthogeriatric co-management has not been definitively proven. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effect of GFC on predefined major adverse events related to a hip fracture compared to usual care centres (UCC)...

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion in chronic anemia is not covered by guidelines specific to older adults. When they consider that this treatment is necessary in elderly patients, French general practitioners (GPs) contact a hospital specialist to plan a transfusion. METHODS: Twenty French GPs were questioned individually regarding their approach to blood transfusion using semi-structured interviews. Each interview was recorded, typed up verbatim and then coded using an inductive procedure by theme, in a cross-over design (two researchers) in two phases: analysis and summary, followed by grouping of the recorded comments...

PURPOSE: The incidence of ankle fractures is rapidly increasing in geriatric populations. Of the 4 fracture patterns described by the Lauge-Hansen classification system, supination-external rotation (SER) accounts for most ankle fractures. This video demonstrates surgical repair of a SER type 4 ankle fracture in a geriatric patient. METHODS: SER type 4 ankle fractures are considered unstable and are generally treated with surgical fixation. After placement of plate and screws, intraoperative stress tests can be used to assess for syndesmotic widening...

The WHO reports that one of the major chronic conditions affecting the elderly worldwide is musculoskeletal disorders that are associated with long-term pain and disability. Considering the healthcare needs of the elderly (i.e. comprehensive, accessible, efficient) and the advantages of ultrasound (US) use (patient-friendly, convenient, cost-effective, and does not require exposure to radiation or magnetic fields), there seems to be a 'gap' in the actual clinical practice. In this paper, we aimed to highlight the potential value of US imaging in the management of the elderly with a wide spectrum of musculoskeletal conditions (degenerative/rheumatic joint diseases, falls/trauma, nursing care, peripheral nerve problems, sarcopenia, and interventions)...

A comprehensive geriatric assessment, combined with a battery of imaging and blood tests, should be able to identify those hip fracture patients who are at higher risk of short- and long-term complications. This comprehensive assessment should be followed by the implementation of a comprehensive multidimensional care plan aimed to prevent negative outcomes in the postoperative period (short and long term), thus assuring a safe and prompt functional recovery while also preventing future falls and fractures.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is a syndrome associated with increased vulnerability and an important predictor of outcomes in older cancer patients. Systematic assessments to identify frailty are seldom applied, and oncologists' ability to identify frailty is scarcely investigated. METHODS: We compared oncologists' classification of frailty (onc-frail) based on clinical judgement with a modified geriatric assessment (mGA), and investigated associations between frailty and overall survival...

AIM: Falls are common adverse events for hospitalized elderly patients that can cause fracture, which decreases activities of daily living, and other injuries that can be fatal. The purpose of the present study was to investigate serious events due to fall, and to consider measures for fall prevention. METHODS: Incidents of fall were obtained from a database of 163 558 inpatients at Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, from April 2012 to March 2016...

Currently, there is no formal curriculum addressing geriatric oncology within Canadian radiation oncology (RO) residency programs. Knowledge related to geriatric medicine may help radiation oncologists modify RT based on frailty status and geriatric considerations. Understanding specific learning needs allow program coordinators to align the current curriculum with residents' geriatric oncology learning needs. The purpose of this study is to determine the geriatric oncology educational needs of the Canadian RO residents and to inform Canadian RO residency training...

BACKGROUND: Adults aged 65 years and older account for more than 33% of annual visits to internal medicine (IM) generalists and specialists. Geriatrics experiences are not standardized for IM residents. Data are lacking on IM residents' continuity experiences with older adults and competencies relevant to their care. OBJECTIVE: To explore patient demographics and the prevalence of common geriatric conditions in IM residents' continuity clinics. METHODS: We collected data on age and sex for all IM residents' active clinic patients during 2011-2012...

The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is used by rehabilitation professionals to access disability. The FIM score combines both motor and cognitive parameters to assess a patient's level of required assistance in performing activities of daily living (ADL). The geriatric trauma patient is becoming an increasingly important cohort for trauma services. FIM has been shown to predict discharge outcomes and those at high risk for falls. We hypothesized pretrauma FIM scores may predict survival in the geriatric trauma population...

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether a novel bedside trolley table set-up decreased inpatient falls (IF) postintervention. METHODS: From December 2012 to December 2014, geriatric patients admitted to our orthopaedic ward with extreme falls risk had a bedside trolley placed between them and a floor sensor mat to give responders more time to prevent IF. Pre- and postintervention falls data was reviewed for falls reduction using falls per month as comparison standard. IF were classified as high or low/medium risk using St Thomas's Risk Assessment Tool In Falling Elderly inpatients (STRATIFY) scoring...

Disease with Lewy bodies or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), particularly at the prodromal stage, is a complex disease to diagnose because of different clinical beginnings and variable paths in terms of clinical expression. Thus DLB can be entcountered in different input modes: mild cognitive impairment, depression, acute behavioral disorders, confusion and delirium, or sleep disorders. In the aim to better diagnose the disease, should be sought obviously to search for the key symptoms: fluctuations, hallucinations, extra-pyramidal syndrome, and REM sleep behavior disorder...

OBJECTIVES: Stroke prevention in older atrial fibrillation (AF) patients remains a challenge. This study aimed to investigate whether a dementia diagnosis is an independent correlate of lower prescription rate of oral anticoagulant treatment (OAT) in a sample of older AF patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional retrospective study. Consecutive older community-dwelling AF patients referred for a comprehensive geriatric assessment, were considered. Evaluation of physical, social and mental health, and administration of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) and Barthel Index were performed...

Falls are a leading cause of injury, hospitalization and even death among older adults. Although various strength and balance exercise interventions have shown moderate reductions in falls incidence among healthy older adults, no significant falls incidence improvements have been consistently seen in frail older adults or in patient groups with an increased falls risk (e.g. people with Parkinson's disease and stroke). This might be due to a lack of task specificity of previous exercise interventions to the recovery actions required to prevent a fall...

BACKGROUND: The association of cognitive impairment and type 2 diabetes has been consistently shown in several studies, yet its association with geriatric syndromes has not been fully explored. OBJECTIVE: To study the correlates of cognitive impairment among community-dwelling elderly with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 135 diabetic persons aged 70 years or older participating in the Coyoacán Cohort Study in Mexico City...