Assessing cardiovascular parameters and risk factors in physical therapy practice: findings from a cross-sectional national survey and implication for clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death and comorbidity worldwide. High blood pressure and resting heart rate are risk factors (or vital signs) critical to cardiovascular health, patient safety, and medical management. Physiotherapists play a fundamental role in risk factor identification, early diagnosis, and subsequent management of cardiovascular disease. To date there is limited research in Europe investigating the level of knowledge and skills possessed by physiotherapists regarding cardiovascular disease screening. Three studies previously observed inadequate vital signs screening behaviors of physiotherapists practicing in the United States and Saudi Arabia. The primary aim of this study was to investigate cardiovascular knowledge and screening practices among Italian physiotherapists, according to the current practice recommendations. METHODS: A Cross-Sectional Survey was developed adapting two previous surveys. The survey was administered to members of the Italian Physiotherapy Association. Chi squared test, Mann-Whitney test or Kruskal-Wallis test were used to study differences among subgroups and question responses. RESULTS: The required sample size was met with total of 387 Italian physiotherapists completing the survey. 80% consider relevant cardiovascular assessment. However, 72.2% were not familiar to guidelines recommendations and only 50% screen vital signs routinely. Their knowledge of normative blood pressure (high-normal, 16%; hypertension, 12%) and heart rate values (bradycardia, 24%; tachycardia, 26%) were low. Although participants reported being skilled for blood pressure measurement (quite sure, 52%; sure, 27%), their adherence to guidelines is low (baseline measurement on both arm, 25%; 3 repeated measures, 46%). Only 27.8% reported to measure exercise related BP and 21.3% of them understood the concept of exaggerated BP. No significant differences between subgroups were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that a concerning proportion of Italian physiotherapists are not versed in fundamentals of properly performing cardiovascular screenings. This lack of knowledge is present across the profession and may impact on appropriate triage and management. The poorly executed screening has the potential to negatively impact the patient and the practitioner. Given the absence of Italian guidelines, we produced and implemented three infographics for public use, which have the dual objective of raising awareness about this subject and providing practical resources for everyday practice.

Physiotherapy Screening for Referral of a Patient with Patent Foramen Ovale Presenting with Neck Pain as Primary Complaint: A Case Report.

Neck pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder encountered by physiotherapists. However, it may be the early manifestation of more alarming conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases mimicking musculoskeletal pain. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a congenital heart defect consisting of a small opening between the right and the left atrium. A 56-year-old male presented with neck pain and head heaviness as primary complaints. The cardiovascular profile and the behavioral symptoms led the physiotherapist to find an exaggerated blood pressure response during exercise; in addition to subtle neurological signs, this prompted the physiotherapist to make an urgent referral. At the emergency department a PFO was diagnosed. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first case to describe a rare clinical presentation of a PFO presenting neck pain as primary complaint. This case report emphasizes the importance for physiotherapists to be able to triage patients for conditions outside their scope suggestive of further medical investigation.

Effectiveness of Vestibular Rehabilitation after Concussion: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects approximately 740 cases per 100,000 people. Impairments related to mTBI include vertigo, dizziness, balance, gait disorders double or blurry vision, and others. The efficacy on acute or chronic phase and dosage of vestibular rehabilitation (VR) in reducing these symptoms is not clearly stated. To clarify these points, we performed a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: A systematic literature search was performed from 2015 to 2022 on PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Trial SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and PEDRO. Eligibility criteria were RCTs which consider VR, participants with mTBI, and no gender or age restriction. Two blinded reviewers independently selected the study, and a third author was contacted in case of disagreements. Risk of bias was independently screened by two authors and successively checked by the other two authors. Results: Thirty-three full articles were read for potential inclusion and seven records met the inclusion criteria. The authors analysed different outcomes considering DHI, a meta-analysis was carried out, statistical difference was observed (p < 0.01), and a mean difference of −6.91 (−9.11, −4.72) in favour of VR was shown. Considering quality of life, the VR group reached a higher score on QOLIBRI. Controversial results were shown about balance and subjective symptoms questionnaire. Differently considering HiMAT, the authors showed a statistically important difference in favour of VR (p = 0.002). Conclusion: VR seems useful to reduce symptoms in patients with concussion; however, a huge heterogeneity of the studies and of the outcomes used were found. Therefore, a larger sample is necessary to assess the efficacy of VR.

Identifying peripheral arterial diseases or flow limitations of the lower limb: Important aspects for cardiovascular screening for referral in physiotherapy.

Many conditions could potentially cause pain in the lower limbs. One of these is peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD is often a real challenge to be recognized for clinicians due to symptoms that commonly mimic musculoskeletal conditions. PAD is defined as a total or partial blockage of the vessels that supply blood from the heart to the periphery. Its prevalence is around 7 percent in subjects between 55 and 59, reaching almost 25% in individuals between 95 and 99 years old. The most dominant symptom of PAD is lower limb pain. Also, PAD can produce other symptoms such as discoloration, altered skin temperature, and, when arterial blood flow is insufficient to meet the metabolic demands of resting muscle or tissue, focal areas of ischemia. In our view, physical therapists should be capable of triaging for PAD in a direct access setting. Therefore, in this Professional Issue, we present the main characteristics of PAD and the physiotherapy role in its management. A supplementary step-by-step guide will provide further resources for testing PAD.

Use of Soft Cervical Collar among Whiplash Patients in Two Italian Emergency Departments Is Associated with Persistence of Symptoms: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

PURPOSE: Although the use of soft cervical collars in the emergency department (ED), for whiplash-associated disorders (WAD), is controversial, it is still widely adopted. The purpose of our study was to investigate the impact of the early use of soft cervical collars on the return to the ED, within three months of a road traffic collision. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study on WAD patients from two EDs in Verona (Italy). Patients in the earlier acute phase of WAD (within 48 h from the trauma) were included; those with serious conditions (WAD IV) were excluded. As an end point, we considered patients who returned to the ED complaining of WAD symptoms within three months as positive outcome for WAD persistence. RESULTS: 2162 patients were included; of those, 85.4% (n = 1847/2162) received a soft cervical collar prescription. Further, 8.4% (n = 156/1847) of those with a soft cervical collar prescription, and 2.5% (n = 8/315) of those without a soft cervical collar (p < 0.001) returned to the ED within three months. The use of the soft cervical collar was an independent risk factor for ED return within three months, with an OR, adjusted for possible clinical confounders, equal to 3.418 (95% CI 1.653-7.069; p < 0.001). After the propensity score matching, 25.5% of the patients (n = 25/98) using the soft cervical collar returned to the ED at three months, compared to the 6.1% (n = 6/98) that did not adopt the soft cervical collar. The use of a soft cervical collar was associated with ED return with an OR = 4.314 (95% CI 2.066-11.668; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the positioning of the soft collar in a cohort of patients with acute WAD, following a rear-end car collision, is an independent potential risk factor to the return to the ED. Clinically, the use of the collar is a non-recommended practice and seems to be related to an increased risk of delayed recovery. There is a need to inform healthcare providers involved in the ED of the aim to limit the use of the soft cervical collar. A closer collaboration between clinicians (e.g., physicians, physical therapists, nurses) is suggested in the ED. Future primary studies should determine differences between having used or not having used the collar, and compare early physical therapy in the ED compared with the utilization of the collar.