Fighting social isolation in times of pandemic COVID-19: the role of video calls for older hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND: Loneliness and social isolation are associated with anxiety and psychological discomfort, especially amongst the oldest and fragile persons. AIMS: SILVER evaluates the acceptance of video calls by old hospitalized patients and their relatives during the ban on visits due to the COVID-19. Moreover, SILVER evaluates if the use of different communication technology is associated with different outcomes in terms of anxiety, fear of self and of others' death and mood. METHODS: SILVER is an observational multicentre study. Patients hospitalized in two geriatric units in Switzerland and in one orthogeriatric unit in Italy and their relatives were enrolled. Participants can freely choose to use phone or video calls and were evaluated over a week. We measured anxiety, fear of death and mood at baseline and at the end of the study with standard scales. The use of video or phone calls was associated to a change in these parameters by two-way ANOVA for repeated measures. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients and relatives were enrolled, 26.5% used phone calls and 73.5% video calls. The use of video calls was associated with a reduction in anxiety and fear of death in patients and relatives as compared to participants using phone calls. DISCUSSION: Old patients and their relatives accepted and appreciated the use of video calls during hospitalization; moreover, participant using video calls appears to be less anxious and less afraid of death. CONCLUSIONS: Video calls may be a useful communication tool for hospitalized older patients to keep social relationships with relatives and reduce their anxiety and fear of death. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered on 1st September 2021 in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05000099).

Incidence, characteristics and clinical relevance of acute stroke in old patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Stroke in the course of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been shown to be associated with more severe respiratory symptoms and higher mortality, but little knowledge in this regard exists on older populations. We aimed to investigate the incidence, characteristics, and prognosis of acute stroke in geriatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19. METHODS: A monocentric cross-sectional retrospective study of 265 older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on acute geriatric wards. 11/265 presented a stroke episode during hospitalization. Mortality rates and two-group comparisons (stroke vs non-stroke patients) were calculated and significant variables added in logistic regression models to investigate stroke risk factors. RESULTS: Combined ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke incidence was 4.15%. 72.7% of events occurred during acute care. Strokes presented with altered state of consciousness and/or delirium in 81.8%, followed by a focal neurological deficit in 45.5%. Ischemic stroke was more frequently unilateral (88.8%) and localized in the middle cerebral artery territory (55.5%). Smoking and a history of previous stroke increased by more than seven (OR 7.44; 95% CI 1.75-31.64; p = 0.007) and five times (OR 5.19; 95% CI 1.50-17.92; p = 0.009), respectively, the risk of stroke. Each additional point in body mass index (BMI) reduced the risk of stroke by 14% (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.74-0.98; p = 0.03). In-hospital mortality (32.1% vs. 27.3%; p > 0.999) and institutionalization at discharge (36.4% vs. 21.1%; p = 0.258) were similar between patients with and without stroke. CONCLUSION: Incident stroke complicating COVID-19 in old patients was associated with active smoking, previous history of stroke, and low BMI. Acute stroke did not influence early mortality or institutionalization rate at discharge.

Low fat-free mass as a marker of mortality in community-dwelling healthy elderly subjects.

BACKGROUND: low fat-free mass has been related to high mortality in patients. This study evaluated the relationship between body composition of healthy elderly subjects and mortality. METHODS: in 1999, 203 older subjects underwent measurements of body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis, Charlson co-morbidity index and estimation of energy expenditure through physical activity by a validated questionnaire. These measurements were repeated in 2002, 2005 and 2008 in all consenting subjects. Mortality data between 1999 and 2010 were retrieved from the local death registers. The relationship between mortality and the last indexes of fat and fat-free masses was analysed by multiple Cox regression models. RESULTS: women's and men's data at last follow-up were: age 81.1 ± 5.9 and 80.9 ± 5.8 years, body mass index 25.3 ± 4.6 and 26.1 ± 3.4 kg/m(2), fat-free mass index 16.4 ± 1.8 and 19.3 ± 1.9 kg/m(2) and fat mass index 9.0 ± 3.2 and 6.8 ± 2.0 kg/m(2). Fifty-eight subjects died between 1999 and 2010. The fat-free mass index (hazard ratio 0.77; 95% confidence interval 0.63-0.95) but not the fat mass index, predicted mortality in addition to sex and Charlson index. The multiple Cox regression model explained 31% of the variance of mortality. CONCLUSION: a low fat-free mass index is an independent risk factor of mortality in elderly subjects, healthy at the time of body composition measurement.

Nutritional risk at hospital admission is associated with prolonged length of hospital stay in old patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: To investigate the association of nutritional risk at admission with the length of hospital stay (LOS) and mortality in older patients with COVID-19. METHODS: Retrospective monocentric study in an acute geriatric hospital. Data were collected after an extensive review of medical records and the nutritional risk was assessed according to the Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS). Univariate and multivariate (adjusted for age, sex and comorbidity burden) Cox proportional-hazard and linear regression models were used to investigate the association with the above-mentioned outcomes. RESULTS: Of a total of 245 patients (86.1 ± 6.4 yrs), 50.6% had a severe nutritional risk with an NRS≥5/7 at admission. Lower BMI, cognitive impairment and swallowing disorders were more prevalent in the patients with a higher NRS. A NRS≥5 was not associated with mortality but prolonged by more than 3 days the LOS among the 173 survivors (ß 3.69; 0.71-6.67 95% CI; p = 0.016), with a discharge rate delayed by 1.8 times (HR 0.55; 0.37-0.83 95% CI; p = 0.101). CONCLUSION: Among the survivors of COVID-19 in an acute geriatric hospital, a NRS ≥5 at admission was associated with a longer LOS, but not with mortality.

Reconstruction of transmission chains of SARS-CoV-2 amidst multiple outbreaks in a geriatric acute-care hospital: a combined retrospective epidemiological and genomic study.

Background: There is ongoing uncertainty regarding transmission chains and the respective roles of healthcare workers (HCWs) and elderly patients in nosocomial outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in geriatric settings. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study including patients with nosocomial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in four outbreak-affected wards, and all SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive HCWs from a Swiss university-affiliated geriatric acute-care hospital that admitted both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients during the first pandemic wave in Spring 2020. We combined epidemiological and genetic sequencing data using a Bayesian modelling framework, and reconstructed transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 involving patients and HCWs, to determine who infected whom. We evaluated general transmission patterns according to case type (HCWs working in dedicated Covid-19 cohorting wards: HCWcovid; HCWs working in non-Covid-19 wards where outbreaks occurred: HCWoutbreak; patients with nosocomial Covid-19: patientnoso) by deriving the proportion of infections attributed to each case type across all posterior trees and comparing them to random expectations. Results: During the study period (1 March to 7 May 2020), we included 180 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases: 127 HCWs (91 HCWcovid, 36 HCWoutbreak) and 53 patients. The attack rates ranged from 10% to 19% for patients, and 21% for HCWs. We estimated that 16 importation events occurred with high confidence (4 patients, 12 HCWs) that jointly led to up to 41 secondary cases; in six additional cases (5 HCWs, 1 patient), importation was possible with a posterior probability between 10% and 50%. Most patient-to-patient transmission events involved patients having shared a ward (95.2%, 95% credible interval [CrI] 84.2%-100%), in contrast to those having shared a room (19.7%, 95% CrI 6.7%-33.3%). Transmission events tended to cluster by case type: patientnoso were almost twice as likely to be infected by other patientnoso than expected (observed:expected ratio 2.16, 95% CrI 1.17-4.20, p=0.006); similarly, HCWoutbreak were more than twice as likely to be infected by other HCWoutbreak than expected (2.72, 95% CrI 0.87-9.00, p=0.06). The proportion of infectors being HCWcovid was as expected as random. We found a trend towards a greater proportion of high transmitters (≥2 secondary cases) among HCWoutbreak than patientnoso in the late phases (28.6% vs. 11.8%) of the outbreak, although this was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Most importation events were linked to HCW. Unexpectedly, transmission between HCWcovid was more limited than transmission between patients and HCWoutbreak. This finding highlights gaps in infection control and suggests the possible areas of improvements to limit the extent of nosocomial transmission. Funding: This study was supported by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation under the NRP78 funding scheme (Grant no. 4078P0_198363).

High levels of comorbidity and disability cancel out the dementia effect in predictions of long-term mortality after discharge in the very old.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The relative weight of various etiologies of dementia as predictors of long-term mortality after other risk factors have been taken into account remains unclear. We investigated the 5-year mortality risk associated with dementia in elderly people after discharge from acute care, taking into account comorbid conditions and functionality. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 444 patients (mean age: 85 years; 74% female) discharged from the acute geriatric unit of Geneva University Hospitals. On admission, each subject underwent a standardized diagnostic evaluation: demographic variables, cognitive, comorbid medical conditions and functional assessment. Patients were followed yearly by the same team. Predictors of survival at 5 years were evaluated by Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: The univariate model showed that being older and male, and having vascular and severe dementia, comorbidity and functional disability, were predictive of shorter survival. However, in the full multivariate model adjusted for age and sex, the effect of dementia type or severity completely disappeared when all the variables were added. In multivariate analysis, the best predictor was higher comorbidity score, followed by functional status (R(2) = 23%). CONCLUSIONS: The identification of comorbidity and functional impairment effects as predictive factors for long-term mortality independent of cognitive status may increase the accuracy of long-term discharge planning.

Delirium in Older Patients With COVID-19: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Clinical Relevance.

BACKGROUND: Delirium prevalence increases with age and is associated with poor outcomes. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for delirium in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19, as well as its association with length of stay and mortality. METHOD: This was a retrospective study of patients aged 65 years and older hospitalized with COVID-19. Data were collected from computerized medical records and all patients had delirium assessment at admission. Risk factors for delirium as well as the outcomes mentioned above were studied by 2-group comparison, logistic regression, and Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Of a total of 235 Caucasian patients, 48 (20.4%) presented with delirium, which was hypoactive in 41.6% of cases, and hyperactive and mixed in 35.4% and 23.0%, respectively. Patients with cognitive impairment had a nearly 4 times higher risk of developing delirium compared to patients who were cognitively normal before SARS-CoV-2 infection (odds ratio 3.7; 95% CI: 1.7-7.9, p = .001). The presence of delirium did not modify the time from symptoms' onset to hospitalization or the length of stay in acute care, but it was associated with an increased risk of dying (hazard ratio 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2-3.7, p = .0113). CONCLUSION: Delirium was a prevalent condition in older people admitted with COVID-19 and preexisting cognitive impairment was its main risk factor. Delirium was associated with higher in-hospital mortality. These results highlight the importance of early recognition of delirium especially when premorbid cognitive comorbidities are present.

Prognostic Role of Subcutaneous and Visceral Adiposity in Hospitalized Octogenarians with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the prognostic significance of visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in octogenarians with COVID-19. METHODS: This paper presents a monocentric retrospective study that was conducted in acute geriatric wards with 64 hospitalized patients aged 80+ who had a diagnosis of COVID-19 and who underwent a chest CT scan. A quantification of the subcutaneous, visceral, and total fat areas was performed after segmentations on the first abdominal slice caudal to the deepest pleural recess on a soft-tissue window setting. Logistic regression models were applied to investigate the association with in-hospital mortality and the extent of COVID-19 pneumonia. RESULTS: The patients had a mean age of 86.4 ± 6.0 years, and 46.9% were male, with a mean BMI of 24.1 ± 4.4Kg/m2 and mortality rate of 32.8%. A higher subcutaneous fat area had a protective effect against mortality (OR 0.416; 0.183-0.944 95% CI; p = 0.036), which remained significant after adjustments for age, sex, and BMI (OR 0.231; 0.071-0.751 95% CI; p = 0.015). Inversely, higher abdominal circumference, total fat area, subcutaneous fat area, and visceral fat were associated with worse COVID-19 pneumonia, with the latter presenting the strongest association after adjustments for age, sex, and BMI (OR 2.862; 1.523-5.379 95% CI; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous and visceral fat areas measured on chest CT scans were associated with prognosis in octogenarians with COVID-19.

Epidemiology of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli from repeated prevalence studies over 11 years in a long-term-care facility.

BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli sequence type (ST) 131 H30 is an emerging multidrug resistant subclone, known to spread and cause outbreaks in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: From 2010 through 2020, we performed 11 yearly surveillance studies for determining the prevalence of digestive carriage of ESBL-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC) among residents in a university-affiliated LCTF. Sequencing and genotyping of selected isolates were performed to characterize temporal trends in the prevalence and epidemic potential of ESBL-EC subclones, and for evaluating a potential rebound effect following discontinuation of contact precautions for ESBL-EC carriers in January 2019. RESULTS: This study included 2'403 LTCF residents, with 252 (10.5%) positive for ESBL-EC. Among the 236 ESBL-EC isolates available for typing, 58.0% belonged to the ST131 lineage, including 94/137 (68.6%) ST131 H30 isolates. An increasing yearly prevalence was observed for ESBL-EC (from 4.6 to 9.4%; p = 0.11), but not for the ST131 H30 subclone, which peaked in 2015 and declined thereafter. Multiple previously unnoticed ESBL-EC outbreaks occurred in the LTCF. Since 2018, we noted the clonal expansion of a rare ST131 H89 subclone (O16:H5) harboring CTX-M-14 and CTX-M-24. No rebound effect was observed in ESBL-EC prevalence nor in the different subclones following discontinuation of contact precautions for ESBL-EC carriers since 2019. CONCLUSION: Clonal fluctuation was observed for ST131 H30 ESBL-EC with a current decline in prevalence. Surveillance should include the evolution of ST131 non-H30 subclones, which may spread in LTCFs. Our findings suggest that discontinuation of contact precautions for ESBL-EC carriers in LTCFs may be safely implemented, in support of European recommendations to limit ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae control measures in endemic settings to non-E. coli.

Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality in Older Patients With COVID-19: The COVIDAge Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine predictors of in-hospital mortality related to COVID-19 in older patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients aged 65 years and older hospitalized for a diagnosis of COVID-19. METHODS: Data from hospital admission were collected from the electronic medical records. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were used to predict mortality, our primary outcome. Variables at hospital admission were categorized according to the following domains: demographics, clinical history, comorbidities, previous treatment, clinical status, vital signs, clinical scales and scores, routine laboratory analysis, and imaging results. RESULTS: Of a total of 235 Caucasian patients, 43% were male, with a mean age of 86 ± 6.5 years. Seventy-six patients (32%) died. Nonsurvivors had a shorter number of days from initial symptoms to hospitalization (P = .007) and the length of stay in acute wards than survivors (P < .001). Similarly, they had a higher prevalence of heart failure (P = .044), peripheral artery disease (P = .009), crackles at clinical status (P < .001), respiratory rate (P = .005), oxygen support needs (P < .001), C-reactive protein (P < .001), bilateral and peripheral infiltrates on chest radiographs (P = .001), and a lower prevalence of headache (P = .009). Furthermore, nonsurvivors were more often frail (P < .001), with worse functional status (P < .001), higher comorbidity burden (P < .001), and delirium at admission (P = .007). A multivariable Cox model showed that male sex (HR 4.00, 95% CI 2.08-7.71, P < .001), increased fraction of inspired oxygen (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.09, P < .001), and crackles (HR 2.42, 95% CI 1.15-6.06, P = .019) were the best predictors of mortality, while better functional status was protective (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99, P = .001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In older patients hospitalized for COVID-19, male sex, crackles, a higher fraction of inspired oxygen, and functionality were independent risk factors of mortality. These routine parameters, and not differences in age, should be used to evaluate prognosis in older patients.

How to Prevent Loss of Muscle Mass and Strength among Older People in Neuro-Rehabilitation?

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide but also of disability. Stroke induces certain alterations of muscle metabolism associated with gross muscle atrophy and a decrease in muscle function, leading to sarcopenia. The vast majority of stroke cases occur in adults over 65 years of age, and the prevalence is expected to massively increase in the coming years in this population. Sarcopenia is associated with higher mortality and functional decline. Therefore, the identification of interventions that prevent muscle alterations after stroke is of great interest. The purpose of this review is to carry out a systematic literature review to identify evidence for nutritional and pharmacological interventions, which may prevent loss of muscle mass in the elderly after stroke. The search was performed on Medline in December 2018. Randomized controlled studies, observational studies and case reports conducted in the last 20 years on post-stroke patients aged 65 or older were included. In total, 684 studies were screened, and eight randomized control trials and two cohort studies were finally included and examined. This review reveals that interventions such as amino acid supplementation or anabolic steroid administration are efficient to prevent muscle mass. Little evidence is reported on nutritional aspects specifically in sarcopenia prevention after stroke. It pinpoints the need for future studies in this particular population.

Association of mortality and phase angle measured by different bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices.

PURPOSE: A high phase angle measured by the Nutriguard® bioelectrical impedance analysis device is associated with a reduced mortality risk in older people. This retrospective study aims to analyze whether this association persists with the other devices that have been used in our hospital. METHODS: This study encompasses all people 65 yrs and older who underwent a phase angle measurement between 1990 and 2011 at the Geneva University Hospitals, with the RJL-101® (RJL Systems), Xitron 4000B® (Xitron Technologies), Eugedia® (Eugédia-Spengler) and Bio-Z® (Spengler). Diseases at the time of phase angle measurement were reported in the form of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. Date of death was retrieved until December 2012. Phase angle values were categorized into sex- and device-specific quartiles, where quartile 1 represents the lowest quartile and reference value. Cox regressions were performed to evaluate the association between phase angle quartiles and mortality. RESULTS: We considered 1878 people (969 women), of whom 1151 had died. In univariate sex-specific Cox regressions, the death risk decreased progressively as the phase angle quartile measured by the Bio-Z® or RJL-101® increased. The HR (95% CI) in quartile 4 was 0.36 (0.26, 0.50) and 0.38 (0.29, 052) in women and men measured with the Bio-Z® (both p < 0.001), and 0.23 (0.14, 0.39) and 0.19 (0.10, 0.36) in women and men measured with the RJL-101® (both p < 0.001). The association between phase angle and mortality persisted when adjusted for age, body mass index or co-morbidities. The small number of deaths in people who underwent a measurement by Eugedia® (n = 93) or Xitron 4000B® (n = 56) did not allow performing multivariate Cox regressions. CONCLUSIONS: Phase angle quartiles are associated with mortality in people aged ≥65 years when using the RJL-101® or Bio-Z device®.

Dynamic image denoising for voxel-wise quantification with Statistical Parametric Mapping in molecular neuroimaging.

PURPOSE: PET and SPECT voxel kinetics are highly noised. To our knowledge, no study has determined the effect of denoising on the ability to detect differences in binding at the voxel level using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM). METHODS: In the present study, groups of subject-images with a 10%- and 20%- difference in binding of [123I]iomazenil (IMZ) were simulated. They were denoised with Factor Analysis (FA). Parametric images of binding potential (BPND) were produced with the simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) and the Logan non-invasive graphical analysis (LNIGA) and analyzed using SPM to detect group differences. FA was also applied to [123I]IMZ and [11C]flumazenil (FMZ) clinical images (n = 4) and the variance of BPND was evaluated. RESULTS: Estimations from FA-denoised simulated images provided a more favorable bias-precision profile in SRTM and LNIGA quantification. Simulated differences were detected in a higher number of voxels when denoised simulated images were used for voxel-wise estimations, compared to quantification on raw simulated images. Variability of voxel-wise binding estimations on denoised clinical SPECT and PET images was also significantly diminished. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, noise removal from dynamic brain SPECT and PET images may optimize voxel-wise BPND estimations and detection of biological differences using SPM.

Bioimpedance-Derived Phase Angle and Mortality Among Older People.

BACKGROUND: Phase angle measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) may be a marker of health state. OBJECTIVE: This historical cohort study of prospectively collected BIA measurements aims to investigate the link between phase angle and mortality in older people and evaluate whether a phase angle cutoff can be defined. DESIGN: We included all adults aged ≥65 years who underwent a BIA measurement by the Nutriguard® device at the Geneva University Hospitals. We retrieved retrospectively the phase angle and comorbidities at the last BIA measurement and mortality until December 2012. We calculated phase angle standardized for sex, age, and body mass index (BMI), using reference values determined with the same brand of BIA device. Sex-specific and standardized phase angle were categorized into quartiles. The association of mortality with sex-specific or standardized phase angle was evaluated through univariate and multivariate Cox regression models, Kaplan-Meier curves, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: We included 1307 (38% women) participants, among whom 628 (44% women) died. In a multivariate Cox regression model adjusted for comorbidities and setting of measurement (ambulatory vs. hospitalized), the protective effect against mortality increased progressively as the standardized phase angle quartile increased (HR 0.71 [95% CI 0.58, 0.86], 0.53 [95% CI 0.42, 0.67], and 0.32 [95% CI 0.23, 0.43]). The discriminative value of continuous standardized phase angle, assessed as the area under the ROC curve, was 0.72 (95%CI 0.70, 0.75). We could not define an acceptable phase angle cutoff for individual prediction of mortality (LK), based on sensibility and specificity values. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the association of phase angle and mortality in older patients, independent of age, sex, comorbidities, BMI categories, and setting of measurement.

Prevalence of low muscle mass according to body mass index in older adults.

OBJECTIVE: Low muscle mass has been associated with increased morbi-mortality and should be identified for optimizing preventive and therapeutic strategies. This study evaluates the prevalence of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-derived low muscle mass in older persons using definitions found through a systematic literature search and determines the link between body mass index (BMI) and low muscle mass. METHODS: We performed a systematic search of trials involving ≥100 persons that derived low muscle mass from BIA and reported cut-offs for low muscle mass normalized for body height or weight. These cut-offs were applied to all adults ≥65 y who underwent a BIA measurement at Geneva University Hospital between 1990 and 2011 (N = 3181). The association between BMI and low muscle mass was evaluated through multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: We identified 15 cut-offs based on the fat-free mass index (FFMI), skeletal muscle index (SMI), or skeletal muscle percentage (SMP). Depending on the definition, the prevalence of low muscle mass was 17% to 68% in women and 17% to 85% in men. The risk of low muscle mass increased with a BMI <18.5 kg/m2 when using cut-offs based on FFMI (odds ratio [OR] ♀ 14.28-24.04/♂ 25.42-50.64) or SMI (OR ♀ 3.56-4.56/♂ 7.07-8.87) and decreased with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (FFMI: OR ♀ 0.03-0.04/♂ 0.01-0.04; SMI: OR ♀ 0.18-0.25/♂ 0.14-0.18). The opposite association appeared between BMI and cut-offs based on SMP. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of low muscle mass varies widely depending on the definition, especially in persons with BMI <18.5 or ≥25 kg/m2.

Impact of body composition changes on risk of all-cause mortality in older adults.

PURPOSE: This study evaluates the relationship between body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) changes and mortality in persons ≥65 years. METHODS: Adults ≥65 years with at least two body composition measurements (BCM) between 1990 and 2011 were included. We excluded persons who died within one month of the second BCM and who had two single BCM in a one-month timeframe. Mortality data was retrieved until December 2012. For each person, we calculated the regression slopes for BMI, FMI and FFMI changes. Significant positive slopes were categorized as "gain", negative slopes as "loss" and the others as "maintenance". The impact of body composition changes was evaluated by Cox regression models while adjusting for sex, age, co-morbidities and body composition at the last measurement. RESULTS: We included 791 persons with 3049 BCM. After adjustment for sex, and age and co-morbidities, a loss of FFMI, but not of FMI or BMI, increased the risk of mortality (HR 2.02, 95%CI 1.28-3.19). The prediction of mortality with FFMI loss remained significant when further adjusting for FMI loss and the last available body composition (HR 1.68, 95%CI 1.04-2.70). CONCLUSIONS: FFMI loss is related to increased mortality in older persons.

Body composition and all-cause mortality in subjects older than 65 y.

BACKGROUND: A low or high body mass index (BMI) has been associated with increased mortality risk in older subjects without taking fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) into account. This information is essential because FMI is modulated through different healthcare strategies than is FFMI. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the relation between body composition and mortality in older subjects. DESIGN: We included all adults ≥65 y old who were living in Switzerland and had a body-composition measurement by bioelectrical impedance analysis at the Geneva University Hospitals between 1990 and 2011. FMI and FFMI were divided into sex-specific quartiles. Quartile 1 (i.e., the reference category) corresponded to the lowest FMI or FFMI quartile. Mortality data were retrieved from the hospital database, the Geneva death register, and the Swiss National Cohort until December 2012. Comorbidities were assessed by using the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. RESULTS: Of 3181 subjects included, 766 women and 1007 men died at a mean age of 82.8 and 78.5 y, respectively. Sex-specific Cox regression models, which were used to adjust for age, BMI, smoking, ambulatory or hospitalized state, and calendar time, showed that body composition did not predict mortality in women irrespective of whether comorbidities were taken into account. In men, risk of mortality was lower with FFMI in quartiles 3 and 4 [HR: 0.78 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.98) and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.85), respectively] but was not affected by FMI. When comorbidities were adjusted for, FFMI in quartile 4 (>19.5 kg/m(2)) still predicted a lower risk of mortality (HR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Low FFMI is a stronger predictor of mortality than is BMI in older men but not older women. FMI had no impact on mortality. These results suggest potential benefits of preventive interventions with the aim of maintaining muscle mass in older men. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01472679.

Vitamin D is not associated with cognitive status in a cohort of very old hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The association between vitamin D levels and cognitive function remains a controversial issue especially in the very old, highly comorbid patients. We address the relative contribution of vitamin D when taking into account potential confounders well known to be involved in cognitive decline. METHODS: We investigated, in a prospective study of 428 very old inpatients from the Geneva geriatric hospital (mean age 85.2 y ± 6.8; 74.1% women), the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), taking into account comorbid conditions, functionality, malnutrition, ApoE genotype, vitamin B12, calcium, and albumin as independent variables. RESULTS: 25(OH)D level was not different between the cognitively normal (n = 200), MCI (n = 46), and demented (n = 182) patients nor between the different etiologies of dementia. In polytomous logistic regression, the 25(OH)D level neither as a continuous variable nor as a categorical variable increased the risk to be MCI or demented. The 25(OH)D level did not predict conversion from normal or MCI to dementia in the 315 subjects who completed the 2 years follow-up. No changes were observed in the full adjusted model after taking into account the independent variables. Similarly, considering only the group of cognitively normal subjects, the 25(OH)D level was not associated with impairment of specific cognitive domain. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of old hospitalized patients with a high burden of comorbidities, the 25(OH)D level alone or adjusted for confounders is not associated with cognitive status and did not predict conversion to dementia.

Identification of older patients at risk of unplanned readmission after discharge from the emergency department - comparison of two screening tools.

STUDY HYPOTHESIS: The Identification of Senior At Risk (ISAR) and the Triage Risk Stratification Tool (TRST) are the two most studied screening tools to detect high-risk patients for unplanned readmission after an emergency department (ED)-visit. Since their performance was unclear among ED-patients over 75 years, we evaluated their capacities to predict readmission at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months as well as their usefulness in avoiding unnecessary further comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in negative screened patients. METHODS: Historical cohort study with systematic routine data collection of functional status, comorbid conditions and readmission rate of patients released home after an ED-visit between 2007 and 2009 at the Geneva University Hospitals. RESULTS: 345 patients were included (mean age 84y; 63% female). Readmission rates were 25%, 38%, 49%, and 60% at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Positive ISAR (≥2/6) and TRST (≥2/5) predicted modestly unplanned readmission at each time point (AUC range: 0.607-0.664). Prediction of readmission with ISAR or TRST was not modified after adjustment for variables significantly associated with readmission (being male, having poor functional or comorbid scores). In case of negative ISAR or TRST, their high negative predictive values (NPV) would safely allow avoiding 64 useless CGA (ISAR <2: 7/64 readmissions at 1 month). CONCLUSIONS: Both ISAR and TRST tools predicted modestly unplanned readmission after an ED-visit among patients over 75 years. Nevertheless, due to their low specificity and high NPV these screening tools are useful to select elderly ED-patients who can safely return home without any further CGA.