When to Admit to Observation: Predicting Length of Stay for Anticoagulated Elderly Fall Victims.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric patients who fall while taking an anticoagulant have a small but significant risk of delayed intracranial hemorrhage requiring observation for 24 h. However, the medical complexity associated with geriatric care may necessitate a longer stay in the hospital. Little is known about the factors associated with a successful observational status stay (<2 d) for this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Elderly patients who fell while taking an anticoagulant admitted from 2012 to 2017 at an ACS level II trauma center were included in a retrospective cohort study to determine what factors were associated with a stay consistent with observational status. INCLUSION CRITERIA: age> 65 y old, negative initial head CT, and one of the following: INR>3.5 if on warfarin, GCS<14, external signs of trauma, or focal neurological deficits. RESULTS: The cohort included 369 patients. Factors associated with decreased likelihood of successful observational status included the need for services after discharge such as an extended care facility (OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.02-0.19, P < 0.001) or visiting nurse agency services (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10-0.75, P < 0.001), a dementia diagnosis (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04-0.70, P = 0.014), increasing number of medications (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.99, P = 0.031), and the use of coumadin (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.12-0.70, P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: For trauma providers, knowing your patient's medication use and particularly type of anticoagulant, comorbidities including dementia, and likely need for services after discharge will help guide the decision to admit the patient for what may be a reasonably lengthy stay versus a brief observation in the hospital for elderly fall victims on anticoagulation.

Finding General Dyke.

A hemorrhagic stroke and aphasia suddenly changed the life of Charles William (Bill) Dyke, Army Lt. General (Retired), Ranger strong with 2 silver stars and 3 bronze stars among his many decorations and founder and CEO of a Washington, DC, consulting firm. Gen. Dyke and his wife Ann provide their personal perspectives on the path to his remarkable recovery and return to full-time work. They found that the most effective therapy linked to who he was and is. Standard therapy tools and impersonal approaches frequently created barriers. Instead, when health professionals related the therapy objectives to his interests and involved him in the process of setting objectives to meet the challenges, they gained his trust, cooperation, participation, and focus on learning.

The Impact of Interdisciplinary Care on Cost Reduction in a Geriatric Trauma Population.

The current growth of the geriatric population and increased burden on trauma services throughout the United States (US) has created a need for systems that can improve patient care and reduce hospital costs. We hypothesize that the multidisciplinary services provided through the Geriatric Injury Institute (GII) can reduce hospital costs, improve patient triage throughput, and decrease hospital length of stay (LOS). METHODS AND MATERIAL: We performed a single-center, retrospective chart review of our Level II trauma center registry and electronic medical records of patients ages 65 and older who satisfied trauma activation/code criteria between July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2016 (N = 663). Patients presenting from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015, were grouped as Pre-GII, while those presenting from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, were grouped as Post-GII. Primary outcomes were emergency department (ED) triage time, overall LOS, and hospital costs. Secondary outcomes included patient disposition, mortality, and health assessments. Statistical comparisons were made using a one-way analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Pre-GII vs. Post-GII average ages and the Injury Severity Score (ISS) were not statistically different (p>0.05). The average LOS was similar between the Pre-GII and Post-GII groups (4.64 ± 4.42 days vs. 4.26 ± 5.58 days, p = 0.48). More patients were discharged earlier (≤ 4 days; 64% vs. 73%) as well as discharged to home (37% vs. 45%) in the Post-GII group. The total cost savings were $53,000 with a median savings of $1061 per patient ($8808 vs. $7747, p = 0.04). Savings were highest during the first two days of admission (p = 0.03). The reduction in ED triage time was not significant (310.7 minutes vs 219. 8 minutes, p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: With the increase in geriatric trauma, innovative models of care are needed. Our study suggests that the GII multidisciplinary approach to trauma services can lower overall hospital costs.