Structured Pre-Consultation Interview at the First Call of Caregiver Regarding Memory Consultation: Effects on Caregiver Burden, Expectations, and Quality of Life.

Introduction: Case managers can guide caregivers during their search for care for relatives with neurocognitive disorders. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of this procedure on caregiver burden and quality of life. Methods: Family caregivers searching for care at a memory clinic before the first consultation were provided written information and they provided verbal consent to participate in this pre-post intervention study. Intervention was a structured pre-consultation phone call interview given by the case manager to inform and organize individualize pathway of care. The mini-Zarit Burden Interview and the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire quality of life scores were recorded by an independent assessor before the intervention and 1 month thereafter. An expectation questionnaire was also completed during the assessments. The pre and post scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: In total, 45 participants were enrolled and 35 were assessed twice. There was no significant change in the total mini-Zarit Burden Interview score; however, the levels of stress due to caring and meeting familial responsibilities (p = 0.025), and the fear of what the future holds for the participants' relative (p = 0.01) was lower at 1 month. The need for information about the pathways of care decreased, but no change in support satisfaction was observed. Quality of life was good and did not change. Conclusions: During the pre-consultation intervention, the case manager may fulfill several needs of caregivers, particularly to obtain personalized information, which should be implemented in memory clinics.

Masticatory coefficient and physical functioning in older frail patients admitted for a Comprehensive Gerontological Assessment.

BACKGROUND: Physical functioning may be limited in older, frail patients with missing teeth without prosthetic correction. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between physical performance and the geriatric masticatory coefficient (GMC) in patients who underwent both a comprehensive gerontological assessment (CGA) to improve poly-pathology management and an intra-oral exam. METHODS: All patients were evaluated based on the following: (corrected) GMC, number of posterior occluding pairs (POPs), short physical performance battery (SPPB) or timed up and go (TUG) test, and mini-nutritional assessment (MNA). RESULTS: Of the 256 patients (mean age 83.76[SD 6.16], 148F), 75 (29.30%) were malnourished. The corrected GMC was lower in malnourished patients. When adjusted for age, gender, and MNA, the corrected GMC correlated with the TUG time (r=-0.198, p=0.005) and SPPB score (r=0.282, p=0.009). Correlations between GMC and POPs were determined for the SPPB (r=0.269, p=0.013; r=0.319, p=0.004, respectively) but not for the TUG (r=-0.108, p=0.128; r=-0.136, p=0.072). CONCLUSION: The correlation between physical performance and decreased masticatory capacity was not fully explained by malnutrition in mildly to severely frail and multi-morbid patients; posture may also be impaired by missing teeth. The study of dental care effects on physical performance will provide further insights.

Protein intake, weight loss, dietary intervention, and worsening of quality of life in older patients during chemotherapy for cancer.

Decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is common in patients with cancer. We investigated the effects of dietary intervention and baseline nutritional status on worsening of HRQoL in older patients during chemotherapy. In this randomized control trial assessing the effect on mortality of dietary advice to increase dietary intake during chemotherapy, this post hoc analysis included 155 patients with cancer at risk of malnutrition. The effects of dietary intervention, baseline Mini Nutritional Assessment item scores, weight loss, and protein and energy intake before treatment on the worsening of HRQoL (physical functioning, fatigue) and secondary outcomes (Timed Up and Go test, one-leg stance time, depressive symptoms, basic (ADL), or instrumental (IADL) activities of daily living) were analyzed by multinomial regressions. Dietary intervention increased total energy and protein intake but had no effect on any examined outcomes. Worsening of fatigue and ADL was predicted by very low protein intake (< 0.8 g kg-1 day-1) before chemotherapy (OR 3.02, 95% CI 1.22-7.46, p = 0.018 and OR 5.21, 95% CI 1.18-22.73, p = 0.029 respectively). Increase in depressive symptomatology was predicted by 5.0-9.9% weight loss before chemotherapy (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.10-6.80, p = 0.038). Nutritional intervention to prevent HRQoL decline during chemotherapy should focus on patients with very low protein intake along with those with weight loss.

[Contributions of a geriatric outpatient consultation in a dialysis facility]. / Apports d'une consultation gériatrique dans une association d'antennes d'auto-dialyse.

CONTEXT: The role of comprehensive geriatric assessment for older patients with advanced chronic kidney disease still needs to be defined. In this population, data is lacking on the care proposals made by geriatricians during comprehensive geriatric assessment and on the follow-up of these proposals. OBJECTIVES: To describe a population of older outpatients with advanced renal disease seen at a geriatric consultation, and geriatric syndromes identified. To study care suggestions made by the geriatrician, and the follow-up of these suggestions. METHODS: Retrospective monocentric study, including all outpatients treated with hemodialysis and seen at the geriatric consultation implemented in a dialysis facilities network in Aquitaine region, France, from 2014 to 2017. Six domains were analysed: functional independence, cognition, gait/balance, mood, nutrition and drug prescription. RESULTS: Among 49 patients, mean age 79 years, 50% had a loss of independence, 32% cognitive impairment, 24% mood disturbance, 55% gait or balance disturbance, and 65% potentially inappropriate medications. The most frequent care suggestions of the geriatrician were drugs optimisation, intervention of a psychologist, a dietetician or a speech and language therapist, home support service implementation, and the exploration of cognitive impairment. Suggestions of intervention of other healthcare professionals, drug optimisation and biological/imaging tests were followed in respectively 46, 33 and 18% of cases. CONCLUSION: A geriatric outpatient consultation in a nephrology facility allows identification of frequent and multiples geriatric syndromes, requiring coordinated interventions. Collaboration between healthcare professionals, including a geriatrician, should be reinforced to improve design and follow-up of the individualised care plan for older patients with advanced chronic kidney disease.

Is the subcutaneous route an alternative for administering ertapenem to older patients? PHACINERTA study.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic administration by subcutaneous (SC) injection is common practice in French geriatric wards as an alternative to the intravenous (IV) route, but few pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data are available. Ertapenem is useful for the treatment of infections with ESBL-producing enterobacteria. OBJECTIVES: To report and compare ertapenem pharmacokinetic data between IV and SC routes in older persons. METHODS: Patients >65 years of age receiving ertapenem (1 g once daily) for at least 48 h (IV or SC, steady-state) were prospectively enrolled. Total ertapenem concentrations [residual (C0), IV peak (C0.5) and SC peak (C2.5)] were determined by UV HPLC. Individual-predicted AUC0-24 values were calculated and population pharmacokinetic analyses were performed. Using the final model, a Monte Carlo simulation involving 10 000 patients evaluated the influence of SC or IV administration on the PTA. Tolerance to ertapenem and recovery were also monitored. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02505386. RESULTS: Ten (mean ± SD age=87±7 years) and 16 (age=88±5 years) patients were included in the IV and SC groups, respectively. The mean C0 and C2.5 values were not significantly different between the IV and SC groups (C0=12±5.9 versus 12±7.4 mg/L, P=0.97; C2.5=97±42 versus 67±41 mg/L, P=0.99). The mean C0.5 was higher in the IV group compared with the SC group (C0.5=184±90 versus 51±66 mg/L, P=0.001). The mean individual AUCs (1126.92±334.99 mg·h/L for IV versus 1005.3±266.0 mg·h/L for SC, P=0.38) and PTAs were not significantly different between groups. No severe antibiotic-related adverse effects were noted. CONCLUSIONS: SC administration of ertapenem is an alternative to IV administration in older patients.

Relevance of G8 scale in referring elderly patients with aortic stenosis requiring a TAVI for a geriatric consultation.

Aortic stenosis (AS) may soon become a significant public health issue. Referring elderly suffering from aortic stenosis for a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) versus surgical valve replacement might be difficult and requires a multidisciplinary staff. G8 is a geriatric screening scale for frailty, validated in oncogeriatry. We study sensibility and specificity of G8 used by cardiologists in comparison to a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) performed by geriatrician. Prospective study, from February to July 2015, in Bordeaux university Hospital, France. Every elderly admitted for a TAVI had a G8 scale performed by cardiologist and CGA by a geriatrician in blind. Comorbidities were assessed using Cumulative Illness Rating Scale in his geriatric version (CIRS-G). CGA was abnormal if: MMSE <24/30 or GDS ≥7/15 or ADL ≤5/6 or IADL ≤7/8 or TUG ≥20 seconds or if malnutrition was noticed. G8 was abnormal if ≤14/17. We calculated sensibility, specificity, positive and negative predictive value in comparison to gold-standard CGA. 49 patients were included (55.1% women, mean age 84.8 years old). Nearly half of the patients (48.96%) had multiple comorbidities (CIRS G score >3 for at least three items excluding the cardiology item). 38 CGA were abnormal (77.55%) and 41 G8 (83.67%). G8 had a sensibility of 100% (IC 95% [0.9-1]), a specificity of 72.7% (IC 95% [0.43-0.9]), a positive predictive value of 92.6% and a negative prospective value of 100% (IC: 95%). G8 scale seems to be an efficient geriatric screening tool for frailty in elderly undergoing TAVI in comparison to CGA. Simple and useful, G8 scale could be performed by cardiologists in older patients with AS for identifying patients with a geriatric risk profile in consultation before surgery. Further studies with bigger samples are needed to confirm these results.