Gait Speed and Frailty Status in Relation to Adverse Outcomes in Geriatric Rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: Both slow gait speed (GS) and higher levels of frailty are associated with adverse outcomes in community-dwelling older people. However these measures are not routinely utilized to stratify risk status in the hospital setting. Here we assessed their predictive validity in older inpatients. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation wards of a tertiary hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Adults 65 years and older (N=258). INTERVENTIONS: A frailty index (FI) was calculated from routinely collected data and GS was determined from a timed 10-meter walk test. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adverse outcomes were longer length of stay (≥75th percentile), poor discharge outcome (discharge to a higher level of care or inpatient mortality), and inpatient delirium and falls. RESULTS: Mean age ± SD was 79±8 years and 54% were women. Mean FI ± SD on admission was 0.42±0.13 and an FI could be derived in all participants. Mean GS ± SD was 0.26±0.33 m/sec. Those unable to complete a timed walk on admission (50%) were allocated a GS of 0. There was a weak but significant inverse relationship between FI and GS (correlation coefficient -0.396). Both parameters were significantly associated with longer length of stay (P<.001), poor discharge outcome (P≤.001), and delirium (P<.05).The prevalence of adverse outcomes was highest in the cohort who were more frail and unable to mobilize at admission to rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: FI and GS each showed predictive validity for adverse outcomes. In a geriatric rehabilitation setting, they measure different aspects of vulnerability and combining the 2 may add value in identifying patients most at risk.

Feasibility and validity of frailty measurement in geriatric rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES: The measurement of frailty using a Frailty Index (FI) has been criticised as too time-consuming for use in hospital settings. We aimed to assess the feasibility and characteristics of an FI derived from routinely collected data. METHODS: A total of 258 participants aged 65 and older were included in a single-centre prospective cohort study conducted in inpatient geriatric rehabilitation wards. The functional independence measure (FIM™), medication count and comorbidities were coded as deficits. RESULTS: An FI could be derived in all participants. It was normally distributed with a mean (SD) of 0.42 (0.13) and reached a submaximal limit of 0.69. Adjusting for age and sex, the odds ratio of a poor outcome (death/discharge to higher care) was 1.38 (confidence interval 1.11-1.70) per unit (0.1) increase in FI. CONCLUSION: Derivation of an FI from routinely collected data is feasible in geriatric rehabilitation settings and is predictive of poor outcomes.

Assessing frontal behavioral syndromes and cognitive functions in traumatic brain injury.

This study examined the relationship between individual and family ratings on a measure of frontal behaviors using the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe). Additionally, this study investigated whether self-reported symptoms of frontal-lobe dysfunction correspond to neuropsychological performance, particularly those tests measuring executive functions. Thirty-three individuals with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 19 healthy individuals completed the FrSBe and neuropsychological measures. Results indicated that the self-ratings of individuals' apathy, disinhibition, and executive dysfunction significantly increased from before to after injury, as did the family members' ratings, with no significant difference between the patients' and family members' reports for any of the three FrSBe subscales. Although individuals with TBI demonstrated impairments in neuropsychological measures, including measures of executive functioning, few significant correlations were found between the patients' FrSBe ratings and measures of cognitive functioning. This suggests that information from the FrSBe may differ from information gathered during a cognitive evaluation and may enhance our understanding of the behavioral sequelae following TBI that may not be captured by neuropsychological assessment alone.

Examination of cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis using functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging.

The present study investigated the neural correlates of cognitive fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), looking specifically at the relationship between self-reported fatigue and objective measures of cognitive fatigue. In Experiment 1, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine where in the brain BOLD activity covaried with "state" fatigue, assessed during performance of a task designed to induce cognitive fatigue while in the scanner. In Experiment 2, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to examine where in the brain white matter damage correlated with increased "trait" fatigue in individuals with MS, assessed by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) completed outside the scanning session. During the cognitively fatiguing task, the MS group had increased brain activity associated with fatigue in the caudate as compared with HCs. DTI findings revealed that reduced fractional anisotropy in the anterior internal capsule was associated with increased self-reported fatigue on the FSS. Results are discussed in terms of identifying a "fatigue-network" in MS.