A pilot study examining the use of ultrasound to measure sarcopenia, frailty and fall in older patients.

INTRODUCTION: The importance of this study is to devise an efficient tool for assessing frailty in the ED. The goals of this study are 1) to correlate ultrasonographic (US) measurements of muscle thickness in older ED patients with frailty and 2) to correlate US-measured sarcopenia with falls, subsequent hospitalizations and ED revisits. METHODS: Participants were conveniently sampled from a single ED in this prospective cohort pilot study of patients aged 65 or older. Participants completed a Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness and Loss of Weight (FRAIL) scale assessment and US measurements of their upper arm muscles, quadricep muscles, and abdominal wall muscles thickness. We conducted one-month follow-up phone calls to assess for falls, ED revisits, and subsequent hospital visits. RESULTS: We enrolled 43 patients (mean age of 78.5). Ultrasound measurements of the three muscle groups were not significantly different between frail and non-frail groups. Frail participants had greater bicep asymmetry (a difference of 0.47 cm vs 0.24 cm, p < .01). A predictive logistic regression model using average quadriceps thickness and biceps asymmetry was found to identify frail patients (AUC of 0.816). Participants with subsequent falls had smaller quadriceps (1.18 cm smaller, p < .01). Subsequently hospitalized patients were found to have smaller quadriceps muscles (0.54 cm smaller, p = .03) and abdominal wall muscles (0.25 cm smaller, p = .01). CONCLUSION: US measurements of sarcopenia in older patients had mild to moderate associations with frailty, falls and subsequent hospitalizations. Further investigation is needed to confirm these findings.

Association of Sonographic Sarcopenia and Falls in Older Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between point-of-care-ultrasonography (POCUS)-measured sarcopenia and grip strength, as well as the history of prior-year falls among older adults admitted to the emergency department observation unit (EDOU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted over 8 months at a large urban teaching hospital. A consecutive sample of patients who were 65 years or older and admitted to the EDOU were enrolled in the study. Using standardized techniques, trained research assistants and co-investigators measured patients' biceps brachii and thigh quadriceps muscles via a linear transducer. Grip strength was measured using a Jamar Hydraulic Hand Dynamometer. Participants were surveyed regarding their history of falls in the prior year. Logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship of sarcopenia and grip strength to a history of falls (the primary outcome). RESULTS: Among 199 participants (55% female), 46% reported falling in the prior year. The median biceps thickness was 2.22 cm with an Interquartile range [IQR] of 1.87-2.74, and the median thigh muscle thickness was 2.91 cm with an IQR of 2.40-3.49. A univariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated a correlation between higher thigh muscle thickness, normal grip strength, and history of prior-year falling, with an odds ratio [OR] of 0.67 (95% conference interval [95%CI] 0.47-0.95) and an OR of 0.51 (95%CI 0.29-0.91), respectively. In multivariate logistic regression, only higher thigh muscle thickness was correlated with a history of prior-year falls, with an OR of 0.59 (95% CI 0.38-0.91). CONCLUSIONS: POCUS-measured thigh muscle thickness has the potential to identify patients who have fallen and thus are at high risk for future falls.

COVID-19 hospital and emergency department visitor policies in the United States: Impact on persons with cognitive or physical impairment or receiving end-of-life care.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the national distribution of COVID-19 hospital and emergency department visitor restriction policies across the United States, focusing on patients with cognitive or physical impairment or receiving end-of-life care. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of visitor policies and exceptions, using a nationally representative random sample of EDs and hospitals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, by trained study investigators using standardized instrument. RESULTS: Of the 352 hospitals studied, 326 (93%) had a COVID-19 hospital-wide visitor restriction policy and 164 (47%) also had an ED-specific policy. Hospital-wide policies were more prevalent at academic than non-academic (96% vs 90%; P < 0.05) and at urban than rural sites (95% vs 84%; P < 0.001); however, the prevalence of ED-specific policies did not significantly differ across these site characteristics. Geographic region was not associated with the prevalence of any visitor policies. Among all study sites, only 58% of hospitals reported exceptions for patients receiving end-of-life care, 39% for persons with cognitive impairment, and 33% for persons with physical impairment, and only 12% provided policies in non-English languages. Sites with ED-specific policies reported even fewer exceptions for patients with cognitive impairment (29%), with physical impairments (24%), or receiving end-of-life care (26%). CONCLUSION: Although the benefits of visitor policies towards curbing COVID-19 transmission had not been firmly established, such policies were widespread among US hospitals. Exceptions that permitted family or other caregivers for patients with cognitive or physical impairments or receiving end-of-life care were predominantly lacking, as were policies in non-English languages.

Impact of Geriatric Emergency Fellowship Training on the careers of Emergency Physicians.

Introduction The geriatric population continues to increase and will impact the emergency department (ED). Older adult patients require different care from other groups of patients. Hence, it is essential to create a workforce that specializes in geriatric emergency medicine (GEM). Geriatric emergency medicine fellowships were developed to serve this need. However, despite 20 years since the creation of GEM fellowships, it is not known how GEM fellowships have impacted the career of graduates of GEM fellowships. The goal of this study is to examine the impact of these geriatric emergency fellowship training programs on the career of geriatric emergency fellows. Methods We surveyed the emergency physicians who had graduated from GEM fellowship programs in the US and Canada by using a 36-question, web-based questionnaire. The survey was pilot-tested on five GEM experts, fellowship graduates, and a GEM fellowship director. Result We had a 68% survey completion rate, two partially answered the study. All participants reported that they continue to have GEM as a part of his/her career. More than half either received grants, published papers, helped establish GEM divisions or caring in their hospital, and worked beyond clinical work in the ED, including academic and administrative fields. More than 80% reported that their fellowship helped obtain their current positions and was helpful in career progression. Approximately two-thirds were satisfied with their current work/life balance. Conclusion The GEM fellowship training has been impactful in the careers of former GEM fellows and has contributed to many becoming leaders in GEM clinical service, administration, education, and research. It can serve as a stepping stone to a leadership position in a GEM career. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that GEM graduates report high levels of career and clinical satisfaction.

Lessons Learned From Emergency Department Fall Assessment and Prevention Programs.

Objectives This research describes the experiences of emergency departments (EDs) with geriatric fall programs and qualitatively synthesizes lessons learned to inform other EDs planning new fall program implementation. Methods By using grounded theory, we conducted semi-structured, open-ended telephone/skype interviews of emergency physicians and geriatric providers recruited from a purposeful sampling technique. The interviews were transcribed and reviewed by two investigators. The codes were generated and listed, and common concepts emerged. Lastly, the final codes were organized into concepts and themes with the aim to create a strong coding structure. Result The main lessons learned are: (1) understand the hospital's existing local environment and resources, (2) utilize champions and interdisciplinary teams, (3) acknowledge that specific fall assessment tools and interventions vary widely between institutions, (4) engage in routine plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles to improve the quality of fall initiatives, and (5) operate under the principle that falls are a syndrome, which must be incorporated within the multifactorial medical needs of geriatric fall patients. Conclusion Based on the lessons learned from our ED fall implementation pioneers, implementing an effective geriatric fall protocol in an ED setting is complicated. Understanding a hospital's resources, assigning champions, working as an interdisciplinary team, choosing proper fall assessment tools/interventions, and completing regular PDSA cycles are important lessons for ED programs planning to implement their own ED fall programs.

Geriatric Emergency Medicine Fellowships: Current State of Specialized Training for Emergency Physicians in Optimizing Care for Older Adults.

Improving emergency department (ED) care for older adults is a critical issue in emergency medicine. Institutions throughout the United States and Canada have recognized the growing need for a workforce of emergency physician (EP) leaders focused on clinical innovation, education, and research and have developed specialized fellowship training in geriatric emergency medicine (GEM). We describe here the overview, structure, and curricula of these fellowships as well as successes and challenges they have encountered. Seven GEM fellowships are active in the United States and Canada, with five offering postresidency training only, one offering fellowship training during residency only, and one offering both. The backbone of the curriculum for all fellowships is the achievement of core competencies in various aspects of GEM, and each includes clinical rotations, teaching, and a research project. Evaluation strategies and feedback have allowed for significant curricular changes as well as customization of the fellowship experience for individual fellows. Key successes include an improved collaborative relationship with geriatrics faculty that has led to additional initiatives and projects and former fellows already becoming regional and national leaders in GEM. The most critical challenges have been ensuring adequate funding and recruiting new fellows each year who are interested in this clinical area. We believe that interest in GEM fellowships will grow and that opportunities exist to combine GEM fellowship training with a focus in research, administration, or health policy to create unique new types of highly impactful specialized training. Future research may include exploring former fellows' postfellowship experiences, careers, accomplishments, and contributions to GEM to better understand the impact of GEM fellowships.