Potentially inappropriate medications and adverse drug effects in elders in the ED.

The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential adverse drug effects (ADEs) in older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED). This was a prospective observational study of a convenience sample of adults 65 years and older presenting to the ED at an urban, tertiary care hospital. Potentially inappropriate medications were defined according to 2003 Beers criteria. Potential ADEs were defined as either (1) a potential drug-drug interaction, (2) alternative medication likely to cause toxicity or drug interactions, or (3) toxic doses of vitamins or minerals. Of 174 eligible patients, 124 were enrolled. The mean number of medications used per patient was 8.6 (range, 0-20). Thirty six patients (29%, 95% confidence interval, 27%-37%) presented to the ED with at least one PIM. Eight PIMs were prescribed in the ED, representing 16% of all prescriptions in the ED. Potential ADEs meeting the defined criteria were found in 26.6% of patients. A subanalysis of a random sample of charts revealed significant discordance between medication lists obtained by the research assistants and that of the health care providers. Older ED patients are at high risk for use of potentially inappropriate medications and ADEs. This problem may be magnified by inaccurate medication lists obtained by ED providers. A larger multicenter study may help to better define the scope of this problem.

Clinical Update on Nursing Home Medicine: 2017.

This is the 11th annual Clinical Update from the AMDA meeting article. This year the topics covered are hypertension after the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk factors, diagnosis and management including end-of-life planning, and the difficulties with exacerbations such as breathlessness; diagnosis and treatment of cognitive impairment and dementia; and wound care and pressure ulcer management.

Breast surgery: minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment.

The increasingly large proportion of elderly women in the United States population carries a disproportionate burden of breast cancer. The advent of minimally invasive surgical techniques applicable to breast disease has brought new opportunities to diagnose and treat breast cancer in the older population. This article reviews issues important to the evolving field of breast cancer management in older women: cancer risk and screening considerations, diagnosis and biopsy approaches, and surgical treatment options based on current studies and recommendations.

Validation of the HOSPITAL Score for 30-Day All-Cause Readmissions of Patients Discharged to Skilled Nursing Facilities.

OBJECTIVES: To validate the HOSPITAL score for predicting 30-day all-cause readmission rates in a cohort of medical patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. PARTICIPANTS: Cleveland Clinic Main Campus medicine services patients who were admitted between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, and subsequently discharged to 110 SNFs within a 25-mile radius of the hospital. MEASUREMENTS: Thirty-day all-cause readmissions to any hospital in the Cleveland Clinic Health System and the HOSPITAL score. RESULTS: During the study period, 4208 medical patients were discharged to 110 SNFs; 30-day all-cause readmission rates were 40.9% for high-risk patients, 28.1% for intermediate-risk patients, and 15.4% for low-risk patients. Compared to intermediate- and low-risk patients, high-risk patients had more hospitalizations in the past year (3.6 vs 1.1 vs 0.8; P < .0001), longer hospital stays (12.0 days vs 9.9 days vs 4.9 days; P < .0001) and more comorbidities, including end-stage renal disease (18.5% vs 9.3% vs 2.5%; P < .0001), congestive heart failure (39.9% vs 33.1% vs 26.1%; P < .0001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (26.9% vs 21.5% vs 20.2%; P < .0001), and diabetes (46.5% vs 38.6% vs 35.3%; P < .0001). The c--statistic for the HOSPITAL score was 0.65. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients discharged to an SNF, the HOSPITAL score may be used to identify those at highest risk of readmission within 30 days.

Clinical Update on Nursing Home Medicine: 2016.

This is the tenth clinical update. It covers chronic kidney disease, dementia, hypotension, polypharmacy, rapid geriatric assessment, and transitional care.

Predictors of do not resuscitate orders in the nursing home.

BACKGROUND: The outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation of residents of long-term care facilities is poor. However, only about one half of residents of long term care facilities have a do not resuscitate (DNR) order. The remainder usually have resuscitation by order or by default policy. Understanding predictors of DNR may help clinicians address end-of-life issues with the older long-term care population. OBJECTIVES: To determine (1) the prevalence of DNR orders, and (2) predictors of DNR orders in older institutionalized individuals in a large community teaching nursing home. METHODS: A cross-sectional chart review study of 177 consecutively located older patients from an 899-bed academic long-term care facility. RESULTS: The prevalence of a DNR order was 40%. The frequency of ordering DNR was greater in subjects who were 85 years or older compared with subjects who were younger than 85 years (57% vs. 30%, P < .05). Ordering DNR was associated significantly with race (49% of whites compared with 13% African Americans, P < .05) but not with sex. Subjects with a DNR order were more likely to have been diagnosed with depression (52% vs. 35%, P < .05) but not dementia, and overall had greater number of medical conditions (5.9 +/- 2 vs. 5.1 +/- 2, P < .05) compared with subjects without DNR orders. The frequency of DNR orders did not significantly differ between subjects who were able to ambulate (with or without assistance) compared with subjects who were wheelchair or bed bound. Using logistic regression analysis, only age (with a B of -1.04 and P of .017) and race (with a B of 1.4 and a P of .01) were independent predictors of DNR status. CONCLUSION: Fewer than half of this sample of long-term care residents had a DNR order. Among seven factors studied, only age and race were independent predictors of DNR status in the nursing home.

Predictors of anticoagulation prescription in nursing home residents with atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVES: To determine predictors of oral anticoagulation (OAC) for atrial fibrillation (AF) in long-term care (LTC). DESIGN: Chart review. SETTING: Six LTC facilities in a metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seventeen residents with AF identified from 934 total residents. MEASUREMENTS: Data was obtained from the medical chart, pharmacy record, and Minimum Data Set (MDS) regarding demographics, medical conditions, falls, fractures, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), peptic ulcer disease, dementia, anemia, and physical/cognitive function scales. The recursive partition algorithm was used to construct a model reflecting physician decision patterns that predict prescription of OAC. RESULTS: Among those 117 residents (12.5% of 934) who had AF (age, 84.6 +/- 8 years), OAC was prescribed for 54 (46%); aspirin or clopidogrel: 47 (40%); neither OAC nor any antithrombotic treatment (ATT): 25 (21%). Prior stroke was the primary determinant of OAC. Residents with prior stroke were less likely to be prescribed OAC if they had prior GIB, were non-Caucasian, or had no history of coronary artery disease (CAD). Those without a stroke were less likely to be prescribed OAC if they were younger, had dementia or lower functional status. CONCLUSION: Prior stroke was the primary predictor of OAC use. Our model suggests that physicians may also incorporate concerns of age, bleeding, cognitive and physical function, and ethnicity into the decision-making process. Further study is needed to explore the reasons why 21% of the residents receive neither OAC nor ATT, and why OAC may be less likely to be prescribed to non-Caucasian LTC residents.

Geriatrics update 2015: Vaccination, frailty, chronic disease guidelines, and cognition.

This paper discusses recent developments and recommendations for elderly patients concerning immunizations, heart failure, lipid therapy, blood pressure control, and dementia.

Stand by me! Reducing the risk of injurious falls in older adults.

About one-third of community-dwelling adults age 65 and older fall each year, and some suffer fractures, traumatic brain injury, and even death. Therefore, it is important to identify older adults at risk and recommend helpful interventions.

Firearms in Frail Hands: An ADL or A Public Health Crisis!

The incidence of neurocognitive disorders, which may impair the ability of older adults to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), rises with age. Depressive symptoms are also common in older adults and may affect ADLs. Safe storage and utilization of firearms are complex ADLs, which require intact judgment, executive function, and visuospatial ability, and may be affected by cognitive impairment. Depression or cognitive impairment may cause paranoia, delusions, disinhibition, apathy, or aggression and thereby limit the ability to safely utilize firearms. These problems may be superimposed upon impaired mobility, arthritis, visual impairment, or poor balance. Inadequate attention to personal protection may also cause hearing impairment and accidents. In this article, we review the data on prevalence of firearms access among older adults; safety concerns due to age-related conditions; barriers to addressing this problem; indications prompting screening for firearms access; and resources available to patients, caregivers, and health care providers.

Clinical Update on Nursing Home Medicine: 2015.

This is the ninth yearly update on clinical care in the nursing home. Topics covered this year are disease management in frail elders, heart failure, pneumonia, mild cognitive impairment, meaningful activities in the nursing home, atrial fibrillation, and anticoagulation.

Prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and stroke.

Cardiovascular disease leads to significant morbidity and mortality in the older population. Results of risk reduction can be dramatic in terms of patient survival and quality of life. This article reviews evidence for cardiovascular risk factors and disease prevention in older adults. Interventions which reduce morbidity and mortality from coronary artery disease, heart failure, and cerebrovascular disease in the elderly population are examined. Attention is given to the role of cardiovascular disease in older women and in minorities, subsets not well-represented in many studies.

Does this patient have Alzheimer disease? Diagnosing and treating dementia.

Alzheimer disease follows a pattern of gradual cognitive, behavioral, and functional decline. Other causes of dementia have overlapping presentations, but with important differences. Most patients with mild to moderate dementia should be treated with cholinesterase inhibitors to temporarily stabilize symptoms and delay clinically important end points. Memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist, may soon be available to treat moderate to severe dementia.

How to assess and counsel the older driver.

Suggesting that a patient stop driving is never easy, yet taking no action may result in deadly consequences. Open communication with the patient and the family in the office setting can help physicians assess risk for a driving accident. The physician can then decide if further assessment and perhaps rehabilitation will benefit the patient. Working with the family and involving community resources to secure alternative forms of transportation may also be needed.

Should nursing home residents with atrial fibrillation be anticoagulated?

Most long-term care residents with atrial fibrillation would be at high risk for embolic stroke based on age and comorbidities according to the criteria presented here. Additionally, they are theoretically excellent candidates for adjusted-dose warfarin treatment for atrial fibrillation. They are accessible for monitoring and tend to have less dietary variability, a controlled medication list, and supervised medication administration. Balancing these features is at least a moderate risk of severe bleeding from anticoagulation based on age, comorbidities, and polypharmacy. However, studies suggest that even those long-term care residents identified as ideal candidates for anticoagulation may not receive warfarin. Those residents who do receive warfarin may not be anticoagulated within the therapeutic range much of the time. This treatment pattern may expose older adults with a high stroke risk to dying from a cardioembolic stroke or to acquiring functional deficits that make them more dependent and lower their quality of life.

Assessment and counseling of older drivers. A guide for primary care physicians.

Despite the proliferation of motor vehicles and the increase in number of miles traveled in this country during the past century, motor vehicle safety has improved. The annual death rate has declined dramatically since it was first measured in 1925. However, motor vehicle accidents remain the leading cause of injury death in children and young and middle-aged adults and the third leading cause of years of potential life lost prior to age 65, behind cancer and heart disease. There are some regional and vehicular factors, with higher motor vehicle death rates in the southeast and in scattered western states. The highest rates of vehicular fatalities are in the youngest and oldest drivers, their passengers, and in all who drive under the influence of alcohol or as a passenger in a car driven by someone under the influence. Medical conditions may also compromise driving ability and/or increase fatality rate in adults of all ages. These conditions and situations, particularly as applied to older adults, are presented here.

Prevention for the older woman. A practical guide to managing risk of malignancies.

As women live longer and anticipate good health during their later years, cancer screening becomes increasingly complex. Physicians receive discordant recommendations from medical societies, task forces, Medicare, and special interest groups about which cancers merit screening, how screening should be performed, the frequency of screening, and when screening should be discontinued. Female patients may receive confusing recommendations from their friends, the lay press, the Internet, and their own doctors. Given the proliferation of opinions and the limited data regarding the efficacy of cancer screening in older women, physicians must help their patients understand the potential benefits, limitations, and consequences of various cancer screenings for each individual woman.

Prevention for the older woman. Mobility: a practical guide to managing osteoarthritis and falls. Part 6.

By anticipating issues of mobility, physicians can help older women lead more independent and satisfying lives. Osteoarthritis is a major cause of physical disability in older women. Aerobic exercise, resistance training, and judicious analgesic use can be well-tolerated interventions that reduce pain and disability. Reducing the risk of injurious falls is paramount given the prevalence of osteoporosis. Interventions that may reduce fall risk include minimizing the use of sedative-hypnotic agents, providing training in transfer skills (balance and gait training), and adapting the home environment.

Prevention for the older woman. A practical guide to prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis causes approximately 1.5 million low-trauma fracture per year, and at all ages the incidence of fracture is higher in women than in men. Risk factors for osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women include family history of bone fracture, ethnicity, and weight < 127 pounds. Densitometry is used to diagnose osteoporosis and can be performed at intervals to monitor bone density during treatment. The older woman's diet should, in general, include 1,200 to 1,500 mg of calcium and 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D. Estrogens, bisphosphonates, selective estrogen receptor modulators, calcitonin, and exogenous parathyroid hormone are pharmacologic therapy options that can preserve and increase bone mass and reduce the risk of fracture.