Timing of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy in traumatic brain injury: exploring indicators of poor prognosis in adult and geriatric populations.

OBJECTIVE: The lack of objective prognostication tools for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes variability in the application of withdrawal of life-saving treatment (WLST). We aimed to determine whether WLST in persons with severe TBI is associated with known indicators of poor prognosis. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study focused on adult (18-64 years) and geriatric (≥65 years) patients with severe TBI who were admitted between August 1, 2018 and July 31, 2021 at a Level I trauma center and subsequently underwent WLST. The data collected from the Trauma Registry and electronic health records included information regarding demographic characteristics, injury severity, clinical variables, and length of hospital stay and were used to examine the indicators of poor prognosis and WLST. RESULTS: Among the 164 participants with TBI who met the inclusion criteria, 61.0% were geriatric, and 122 (74.4%) patients had 0 or only 1 of the poor prognostic indicators prior to WLST. The non-geriatric group had more indicators of poor prognosis than the geriatric group. Participants with fewer indicators of poor prognosis had a longer length-of-stay. CONCLUSION: In severe TBI cases, standardized prognostication tools can help guide informed WLST decisions, particularly in geriatric patients, improving care consistency.

Gait asymmetry persists following unilateral and bilateral total ankle arthroplasty.

Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) improves gait symmetry in patients with unilateral end-stage ankle arthritis but has not been studied in patients undergoing bilateral TAA (B-TAA), and few studies compare TAA patients to control subjects. The purpose of this study was to compare gait symmetry in U-TAA and B-TAA patients and healthy controls. Using prospective databases, 19 unilateral and 19 bilateral ankle arthritis patients undergoing TAA were matched to 19 control subjects by age, sex, and BMI. The Normalized Symmetry Index (NSI) was determined for joint mechanics and ground reaction forces (GRF) during walking trials at a single visit for controls and preoperatively and 1 to 2 years postoperatively for TAA patients. Data was analyzed using linear mixed-effects models to determine differences among time points and cohorts at a significance of α = 0.05. Following surgery, B-TAA and U-TAA experienced improved peak plantarflexion moment symmetry (p = 0.017) but remained less symmetric than controls. B-TAA patients had more symmetry than U-TAA patients during peak weight acceptance GRF (p = 0.002), while U-TAA patients had greater peak dorsiflexion symmetry than B-TAA patients. TAA patients demonstrated more asymmetry compared to control subjects for all outcome measures. There was no significant impact of TAA on gait symmetry for GRF or peak ankle angles, and neither U-TAA nor B-TAA was consistently associated with higher gait symmetry. These results indicate that TAA improves symmetry during peak plantarflexion moment, and that significant gait asymmetry persists for B-TAA and U-TAA patients compared to healthy participants.

End-stage ankle arthritis alters dynamic stability during gait as measured by margin of stability between limbs and compared to healthy controls.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess dynamic stability in individuals with end-stage ankle arthritis compared to healthy controls by evaluating the margin of stability (MoS) during gait. DESIGN: A cohort of 50 participants with end-stage ankle arthritis (AA) and 50 matched healthy controls (HC) were analyzed from an IRB approved database. Kinematic data were collected using an eight-camera motion analysis system, and MoS was calculated based on the extrapolated center of mass (XCoM) and the base of support (BoS). Statistical analysis was performed using a linear mixed effects model with gait speed as a covariate. RESULTS: The analysis revealed a significant interaction between the group (AA vs. HC) and limb (arthritic vs. non-arthritic) at heel-strike and midstance. The non-arthritic limb demonstrated a significantly smaller AP MoS during heel-strike compared to the arthritic limb and either of the limbs of the HC group (p < 0.001). The arthritic limb demonstrated a significantly greater ML MoS during midstance compared to the non-arthritic limb and either of the limbs of the HC group (p < 0.001). AA group had significant slower gait speed (p < 0.001), smaller step length (p = 0.015) and smaller locomotor rehabilitation index (p < 0.001) than HC. CONCLUSION: Individuals with end-stage ankle arthritis exhibit altered dynamic stability during gait, with a significantly smaller AP MoS on the non-arthritic limb at heel-strike and greater ML MoS on the arthritic limb at midstance compared to healthy controls. Our results suggest that individuals with ankle arthritis are less stable when navigating single limb support of the arthritic limb. Further research should further examine the associations with fall risk in patients with ankle arthritis and evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions targeting these factors.