Incidence Morbidity and Mortality From Falls in Skilled Nursing Facilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to systematically review and meta-analyze the incidence and consequential morbidity and mortality from falls in skilled nursing facilities. Our secondary objective is to synthesize current evidence on risk factors for injurious falls. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Older adults residing in skilled nursing facilities or similar settings. METHODS: We completed study screening, data extraction, and quality assessment in duplicate. Random effects models were used for meta-analysis of fall incidence rates and proportions of outcomes per fall. Sensitivity analysis and meta-regression were completed to assess differences based on study design, quality, and population characteristics. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale and Cochrane Risk of Bias tools were used to assess quality of observational and intervention-based studies, respectively. The GRADE tool was used to evaluate strength of evidence for fall risk factors. RESULTS: We identified 3103 unique references, of which 38 were included in systematic review and 37 in meta-analysis. Pooled incidence of falls was 121 per 100 person-years (95% CI 86-170). Outcomes of transfer to hospital, admission to hospital, overall injury, head injury, fracture, 30-day mortality, death in hospital, and disability were reported by included studies. Sensitivity analysis indicated no significant difference in fall rates between study designs. Meta-regression indicated no significant relationship between fall rate and age or sex; however, a weak positive correlation was identified with increasing prevalence of dementia. No fall risk factors were supported by high-quality evidence. CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS: Our study confirms that falls in skilled nursing facilities are common and cause significant morbidity, mortality and health system use. As populations in high-income countries age, falls will become increasingly prevalent. Future research should be directed at preventing injurious falls and determining when hospital care will benefit a faller.

Occult Tubal Carcinoma After Risk-Reducing Salpingo-oophorectomy: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review of the literature to estimate the prevalence and outcomes of occult tubal carcinoma in BRCA mutation carriers and high-risk patients undergoing risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy. DATA SOURCE: A search was done using OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov between 1946 and March 2019 with keywords and MeSH terms selected by an expert medical librarian and coauthors. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Two independent reviewers performed study selection with an initial screen on abstracts and a second on full articles. Articles were rejected if they were irrelevant to the study question, pertained to a different population or did not report occult tubal neoplasia. Quality was assessed using methodologic index for nonrandomized studies criteria. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Data were extracted and recorded in an Excel database. Forest plots for the prevalence of occult carcinoma were done using STATA. Among 2,402 studies assessed, 27 met the inclusion criteria for qualitative and quantitative analysis. A total of 6,283 patients underwent risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy between 2002 and 2019: 2,894 cases were BRCA1, 1,579 BRCA2, and 1,810 high-risk based on family history. Among these, 75 patients were diagnosed with occult tubal carcinoma at the time of surgery. The pooled prevalence was 1.2% (I=7.1%, P=.363) occurring at a median age of 53.2 years (range 42.4-67). In a subanalysis of 18 studies reporting follow-up data, 10 recurrences (18.7%, 95% CI 7.5-53%) and 24 cases of post-risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy peritoneal cancer (0.54%, 95% CI 0.4-1.9%) were reported after a median follow-up of 52.5 months. BRCA1, older age, and previous breast cancer were more often associated with occult malignancy. CONCLUSION: Occult tubal carcinomas found at risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy in high-risk patients and BRCA mutation carriers have significant potential for recurrence despite the frequent administration of postoperative chemotherapy.

The Use of Pulsed Radiofrequency for the Treatment of Pudendal Neuralgia: A Case Series.

OBJECTIVE: Pudendal neuralgia is a recognized cause of chronic pelvic pain. The diagnosis is complex, and there is no consensus on ideal management. Many current methods do not provide adequate relief. Pulsed radiofrequency is a minimally invasive option that has been reported for its use in other neuropathies. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of using transvaginal pulsed radiofrequency for the treatment of pudendal neuralgia and to generate a hypothesis on its efficacy. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of women who were treated with pulsed radiofrequency for chronic pelvic pain owing to pudendal neuralgia between January 2012 and December 2017 at an academic tertiary care centre. (Canadian Task Force Classification II-3). RESULTS: A total of seven patients were included. The mean age was 43.7 (standard deviation 7.97). The average number of pulsed radiofrequency treatments was 4.43 (range 1-12), and the duration of effect averaged 11.4 weeks (standard deviation 3.09). There were no major or minor complications at the time of procedure or at follow-up visits. CONCLUSIONS: Pulsed radiofrequency may be an effective and safe treatment option for the management of pudendal neuralgia for women in whom conservative management has not been effective. Future controlled studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Infants Born Large for Gestational Age and Developmental Attainment in Early Childhood.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate if an association exists between being born large for gestational age (LGA) and verbal ability or externalizing behaviour problems at ages 4-5 years. METHOD: A secondary analysis was conducted using the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, including singleton births in 2004-2005 followed till 4-5 years (n = 1685). LGA was defined as a birth weight > 90th percentile. Outcomes included poor verbal ability (scoring < 15th percentile on the Revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and externalizing behaviour problems (scoring > 90th percentile on externalizing behaviour scales). Multivariable logistic regression with longitudinal standardized funnel weights and bootstrapping estimation were used. RESULTS: Infants born LGA were not found to be at increased risk for poor verbal ability (aOR: 1.16 [0.49,2.72] and aOR: 0.83 [0.37,1.87] for girls and boys, resp.) or externalizing behaviour problems (aOR: 1.24 [0.52,2.93] and aOR: 1.24 [0.66,2.36] for girls and boys, resp.). Social factors were found to impact developmental attainment. Maternal smoking led to an increased risk for externalizing behaviour problems (aOR: 3.33 [1.60,6.94] and aOR: 2.12 [1.09,4.13] for girls and boys, resp.). CONCLUSION: There is no evidence to suggest that infants born LGA are at increased risk for poor verbal ability or externalizing behaviour problems.