Three-year National report from the Gruppo Italiano di Ortogeriatria (GIOG) in the management of hip-fractured patients.

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures (HF) are a major issue worldwide. We aimed at evaluating the practices in delivering care to patients with HF among several Italian Orthogeriatric centers. METHODS: The study took place from February 2016 to July 2018. Seven performance indicators (pre-surgical cognitive assessment, surgery performed ≤ 48 h from fracture, removal of urinary catheter/absence of delirium/start of physiotherapy on the first post-operative day, prescription of bone protection at discharge, and discharge toward rehabilitation) were collected. RESULTS: The 14 participating hospitals totally recruited 3.017 patients. Patients were old (median age 86 years; Inter Quartile Range [IQR] 80-90), mostly females (77%). Nearly 55% of them were already impaired in mobility and about 10% were nursing home residents. Median time-to-surgery was 41 h (IQR 23-62). Models of care greatly varied among centers, only 49.3% of patients being co-managed by geriatricians and orthopedics. There was high variability across centers in four indicators ("pre-surgical cognitive assessment", "bone protection prescription", "use of urinary catheter" and "start of physiotherapy"), moderate in two indicators ("surgery performed ≤ 48 h from fracture" and "discharge toward rehabilitation" and low in one ("absence of delirium on day following surgery"). Comparison with international studies suggests very different ways of providing care to HF Italian patients. CONCLUSIONS: The study results suggest high inter-center variability in the key-performance indicators, and different approaches in providing care to our HF patients in comparison to other countries. A National debate on the topic is required in Italy to harmonize practices of orthogeriatric care.

Association of postoperative delirium with markers of neurodegeneration and brain amyloidosis: a pilot study.

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between postoperative delirium (POD) and in vivo markers of Alzheimer's disease pathology in nondemented hip fracture surgery patients. POD was assessed with the Confusion Assessment Method. Amyloid load was quantified on 18F-Flutemetamol positron emission tomography images as standardized uptake value ratio. Secondary outcome measures were gray matter volumes, white matter integrity, and functional connectivity at rest. All the patients with POD (POD+, N = 5) were amyloid negative (standardized uptake value ratio <0.59), whereas 6 out of 11 patients without POD (POD-) showed brain amyloid positivity. POD+ compared to POD- displayed: lower gray matter volumes in the amygdala (p = 0.003), in the middle temporal gyrus and in the anterior cingulate cortex (p < 0.001), increased diffusivity in the genu of the corpus callosum and in the anterior corona radiata (p < 0.05), and higher functional connectivity within the default mode network (p < 0.001). POD patients showed altered gray and white matter integrity in the fronto-limbic regions in absence of brain amyloidosis. Based on this preliminary investigation, delirium pathophysiology might be independent of Alzheimer's disease. Future studies on larger samples are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Assessing and treating pain in movement disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, severe acquired brain injury, disorders of consciousness, dementia, oncology and neuroinfectivology. Evidence and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation.

Pain is an important non-motor symptom in several neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, cervical dystonia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, severe acquired brain injury, disorders of consciousness and dementia, as well as in oncology and neuroinfectivology. To overcome the lack of evidence-based data on pain management in these diseases, the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation (ICCPN) has defined criteria for good clinical practice among Italian neurorehabilitation professionals. Here a review of the literature (PubMed, EMBASE and gray literature) on pain characteristics, treatment and impact of pain in a neurorehabilitation setting is provided. Despite the heterogeneity of data, a consensus was reached on pain management for patients with these diseases: it is an approach originating from an analysis of the available data on pain characteristics in each disease, the evolution of pain in relation to the natural course of the disease and the impact of pain on the overall process of rehabilitation. There was unanimous consensus regarding the utility of a multidisciplinary approach to pain therapy, combining the benefits of pharmacological therapy with the techniques of physiotherapy and neurorehabilitation for all the conditions considered. While some treatments could be different depending on pathology, a progressive approach to the pharmacological treatment of pain is advisable, starting with non-opioid analgesics (paracetamol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as a first-line treatment, and opioid analgesics as a second-line treatment. In cases of pain secondary to spasticity, botulinum neurotoxin, and, in some cases, intrathecal baclofen infusion should be considered. Randomized controlled trials and prospective multicenter studies aimed at documenting the efficacy of pain treatment and their risk-benefit profile are recommended for these conditions.

International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics: a global agenda for clinical research and quality of care in nursing homes.

A workshop charged with identifying the main clinical concerns and quality of care issues within nursing homes was convened by the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, with input from the World Health Organization. The workshop met in Toulouse, France, during June 2010. Drawing on the latest evidence and mindful of the international development agenda and specific regional challenges, consensus was sought on priority actions and future research. The impetus for this work was the known variation in the quality of nursing home care experiences of older people around the world. The resulting Task Force recommendations include instigation of sustainable strategies designed to enhance confidence among older people and their relatives that the care provided within nursing homes is safe, mindful of their preferences, clinically appropriate, and delivered with respect and compassion by appropriately prepared expert doctors, registered nurses, administrators, and other staff. The proposals extend across 4 domains (Reputational Enhancement and Leadership, Clinical Essentials and Care Quality Indicators, Practitioner Education, and Research) that, in concert, will enhance the reputation and status of nursing home careers among practitioners, promote effective evidence-informed quality improvements, and develop practice leadership and research capabilities.

Implementation of guidelines for type 2 diabetes mellitus in a post-acute geriatric setting.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Several health organizations have developed guidelines for type 2 diabetes mellitus, but it is known that population aging poses challenges to their application. We evaluated the reasons for not implementing guidelines for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients admitted to a post-acute geriatric ward. METHODS: 209 patients (78.8+/-6.9 years old, female 72.7%) affected by DM, consecutively admitted in a Geriatric Evaluation and Rehabilitation Unit (GERU) between 2003 and 2005 for 32.2+/-11.5 days. The GERU geriatricians generated an algorithm for DM management following the guidelines proposed by the American Diabetes Association (2001) and the California Healthcare Foundation/American Geriatric Society (2003). The fit between medical choices and the guideline or the reasons for non-implementation were recorded on clinical charts. RESULTS: Guidelines were implemented in 82.3% of cases. The main reason for non-application was the physician's judgment of the patient's clinical condition. Subjects in the non-implementation group had worse functional status, their somatic comorbidity was more severe, and their clinical condition more unstable. They were also affected by more serious psychological and behavioral symptoms associated with dementia. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusting for age, gender, cognitive, functional status, and number of drugs, the burden of comorbidity was the only independent determinant for not implementing the guidelines (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.36-3.81, p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: although the guidelines for DM have previously been adapted to a geriatric setting, they are not applied in a significant percentage of old frail patients. Severe comorbidity is the main limitation for applying guidelines, but also polypharmacy, disability, cognitive impairment, and behavioral disturbances are factors taken into consideration before starting treatment of a very old patient affected by diabetes.

Efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in patients with mild cognitive impairment treated with cholinesterase inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Individuals who have Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) may be in a transitional stage between aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The high rate of conversion from MCI to AD makes early treatment an important clinical issue. Recent evidence suggests that cognitive training intervention may reduce the rate of progression to AD. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of a NeuroPsychological Training (TNP) in patients with MCI who are treated with cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs), compared with patients MCI treated only with ChEIs and patients not treated, in a longitudinal, one year follow-up study. METHODS: One year longitudinal and retrospective comparison study of neuropsychological performances in 59 subjects affected by Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) according to Petersen's criteria. Fifteen subjects were randomised to receive TNP plus cholinesterase inhibitors; 22 subjects cholinesterase inhibitors alone and 22 subjects no treatment. All the subjects referring memory complaints, corroborated by an informant, underwent a multidimensional assessment concerning neuropsychological, behavioural and functional characteristics, at baseline and after one year follow-up. RESULTS: Subjects without treatment maintained their cognitive, functional and behavioural status after one year; patients treated only with ChEIs improved in depressive symptoms whereas subjects treated with TNP and ChEIs showed significant improvements in different cognitive areas, such as memory, abstract reasoning and in behavioural disturbances, particularly depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: A long-term TNP in ChEIs-treated MCI subjects induces additional cognitive and mood benefits.

Predictive role of single diseases and their combination on recovery of balance and gait in disabled elderly patients.

OBJECTIVES: In the elderly population, chronic diseases are common determinants of mobility limitations and comorbidity consistently shows a strong association with functional status. This study was designed to evaluate the role of single chronic diseases and of their combination on functional recovery after rehabilitative treatment in disabled elderly patients. DESIGN: With respect to the difference in magnitude of their disabling effect, diseases were classified into 2 groups: "more disabling" diseases (COPD, heart failure, peripheral artery diseases, diabetes, and not life-threatening cancer) and "less disabling" diseases (anemia, kidney, gastrointestinal, and liver diseases). SETTING: 35-bed Geriatric Evaluation and Rehabilitation Unit. PARTICIPANTS: We studied 710 patients (age 77.8 +/- 7.4 years, 76.2% females), consecutively admitted for stroke, Parkinson's disease, and osteoarthritis. MEASUREMENTS: A multidimensional evaluation for mobility (Tinetti-score), cognitive status (MMSE), and somatic health (Greenfield's Individual Disease Severity Index-IDS, Burden of diseases-BoD) was performed. Functional recovery was decided based on the Delta-Tinetti, which is the difference of the values between admission and discharge. RESULTS: We tested, in a multivariate regression model, the predictive role of single chronic conditions and of their combinations on functional recovery, after having adjusted for which diseases are direct causes of disability (stroke, Parkinson's disease, and osteoarthritis) and other potential predictors (age, sex, cognitive function, depressive symptoms, albumin, and c-reactive protein). A negative prediction of functional recovery was expressed by the "more disabling" diseases group. The determinants of poor recovery were characterized by the combination of "more disabling diseases" rather than single condition effects, independently by age, cognitive, and functional status on admission. CONCLUSION: Our study adds a new perspective about the role of COPD, heart failure, peripheral artery diseases, diabetes and not life-threatening cancer on functional recovery, emphasizing their combined impact in elderly people.

Diagnosis of chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis and prescription of analgesics in patients with cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the ability to detect symptoms of osteoarthritis and prescription of analgesics in older adults with different degrees of cognitive impairment. SETTING AND PATIENTS: Patients consecutively admitted to a Geriatric Evaluation and Rehabilitation Unit (GERU) for disability due to orthopedic, neurological, or cardiopulmonary diseases, after a surgical intervention, or for behavioral disturbances of dementia. Subjects with a recent orthopedic intervention were excluded. Eight hundred eighty-eight patients were analyzed (mean age 78.4 +/- 7.2 years, 69.5% female) and divided into 4 groups according to cognitive impairment: severe (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE 0-12), moderate (MMSE 13-18), mild (MMSE 19-24), or absent (MMSE 25-30). METHODS: Patients underwent a geriatric multidimensional assessment; the diagnosis of musculoskeletal pain was based on patients' direct report, objective signs (inflammatory signs around the joints), and "pain behaviors" (reductions in activity, social withdrawal, self-protective maneuvers, increased alterations in facial expressions or body postures, observable displays of distress). Analgesic drugs were registered on discharge in subjects with symptomatic osteoarthritis. RESULTS: Of the patients admitted to GERU, 16.8% (n = 149) had osteoarthritis; this percentage is different according to cognitive impairment (MMSE 0-12: 1%, MMSE 13-18: 8%, MMSE 19-24: 17.4%, MMSE 24-30: 34.1%, P < .001). If patients admitted for osteoarthritis are excluded, the new diagnoses of pain due to osteoarthritis are 306 (41.4%), without differences between cognitive status groups. On discharge, analgesic drugs are prescribed to 28.8% of patients with symptomatic arthritis (n = 131); the percentage is lower in patients with severe cognitive impairment in comparison with subjects with better cognitive functions. CONCLUSION: There is a poor attention to chronic pain due to osteoarthritis in community-dwelling elders with cognitive impairment. In a rehabilitative setting, an accurate evaluation of objective signs allows the diagnosis of symptomatic osteoarthritis. However, the link between the diagnosis and the treatment is not direct, since the prescription of analgesics is lower in patients with a more severe cognitive impairment.

Effect of high climate temperature on the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate if high climate temperature could have a negative effect on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective study. SETTING AND PATIENTS: Six patients discharged from the "Richiedei" Alzheimer Rehabilitation Unit-Italy during a period of very high climate temperature (June 14-21, 2002, 30.4 degrees C [86.7 degrees F]) are defined as the case-group. Sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic characteristics are compared with those of patients discharged during the previous 5 weeks (I control-group, n = 10) and the following 5 weeks (II control-group, n = 9). METHODS: On admission and on discharge, a multidimensional evaluation was performed assessing mental and functional status, BPSD (Neuropsychiatric Inventory, NPI), somatic health status, and pharmacotherapy. Changes in BPSD severity was computed as the difference in NPI total score (Delta-NPI) between the last and the first week of stay. Atmospheric temperature was also considered. RESULTS: The three groups did not differ with respect to sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic characteristics. On admission, frequency and severity of BPSD were similar among groups; whereas on discharge, the case-group had an increase in NPI scores (NPI during the first week [median], 13 in the case-group vs. 21 in the I control-group vs. 20.5 in the II one; during the last week: 24.5 vs. 9.5 vs. 15, respectively). CONCLUSION: High climate temperature could have a negative impact on behavior in demented patients. To explain the possible mechanisms of the negative impact of high climate temperature on behavior, two hypotheses are proposed.