The Need for Medication Reconciliation Increases with Age.

BACKGROUND: Medication reconciliation (MR) at hospital admission, transfer, and discharge has been designated as a required hospital practice to reduce adverse drug events. OBJECTIVES: To perform MR among elderly patients admitted to the hospital and to determine factors that influence differences between the various lists of prescribed drugs as well as their actual consumption. METHODS: We studied patients aged 65 years and older who had been admitted to the hospital and were taking at least one prescription drug. RESULTS: The medication evaluation and recording was performed within 24 hours of admission (94%). The mean number of medications was 7.8 per patients, 86% consumed 5 or more medications. Mismatching between medication prescribed by a primary care physician (PCP) and by real medication use (RMU) was found in 82% of patients. In PCP the most common mismatched medications were cardiovascular drugs (39%) followed by those affecting the alimentary tract, metabolism (24%), and the nervous (12%) system. In RMU, the most commonly mismatched medications were those affecting the alimentary tract and metabolism (36%). Among all causes of mismatched medications, discrepancies in one drug were found in 67%, in two drugs in 21%, and in three drugs in 13%. The mismatching was more common in females (85%) than in males (46%, P = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: This study provided evidence in a small sample of patients on differences of drug prescription and their use on admission and on discharge from hospital. MR processes have a high potential to identify clinically important discrepancies for all patients.

Crystal-Induced Arthropathy in Elderly Patients Hospitalized for Acute Conditions.

BACKGROUND: Arthritis and arthralgia are painful symptoms experienced by many elderly patients during hospitalization. Crystal-induced arthritis (CIA) is one of the most common causes of arthritis worldwide and represents the most common cause of acute arthritis in the elderly. OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of both acute new onset or acute exacerbation of CIA among elderly patients hospitalized due to an acute medical illness. METHODS: This study comprised 85 patients. Patients aged 70 years and older who complained of any articular pain were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were signs of septic arthritis, chronic use of steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or admission to the hospital due to an acute attack of CIA. RESULTS: RSynovial aspiration was performed in 76 patients (89%). Joint aspiration yielded a diagnosis in 67 of them (79%). The predominant type of crystal was calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate (68%) followed by monosodium urate (20%). The main causes of hospitalization were acute infectious disease (57%) followed by neurologic and cardiac diseases, 14% and 9% respectively, and orthopedic problems (6%). Among patients with acute infectious disease, the main causes were pulmonary (57%) and gastrointestinal (22%) infections. In 9 patients (12%) who underwent synovial aspiration, visible crystals were identified without a definite diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that hospitalization could be a risk factor for the development of CIA, and the time to diagnose CIA is during hospitalization for other acute illnesses.

Clinical presentation of urinary tract infection (UTI) differs with aging in women.

Uncomplicated UTI is among the most common health problems seen in general practice and typically affects immunocompetent, anatomically normal women. The aim of this study was to explore the difference in clinical presentation in acute, uncomplicated UTI in otherwise healthy community dwelling, premenopausal (Pre-M) and postmenopausal (Post-M) women. A UTI was defined as uropathogen of more than 10(3)cfu/ml in midstream urine culture. Symptoms of UTI were divided to three: during voiding, local symptoms, and generalized symptoms. A total of 196 women aged a minimum of 45 years with diagnosis of UTI were studied. The patients were divided into two groups: Pre-M (n=102, mean age 48.14 years) and Post-M (n=94, mean age 69.21 years). The predominant complaints in Pre-M women were local symptoms. The clinical presentations showed more severity in the Post-M group than in Pre-M women, predominantly generalized unspecific symptoms and storage symptoms. Advanced age positively correlated with urgency of urination, painful voiding, urinary incontinence, sexual activity, low-back pain, lower abdominal pain and negatively correlated with frequency, painful and burning of urination and bladder pain. Our study showed that clinical presentation of UTI in Pre-M and Post-M women is different. The differences are presented not only by the voiding itself and by local symptoms but also by unspecified generalized symptoms that is especially important in elderly patients.

Long-term follow-up of revision decompressive lumbar spinal surgery in elderly patients.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of elderly patients (more than 65 y of age) who underwent surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis between 1990 and 2000 was carried out. Among all these patients, the patients who underwent revision surgery were studied. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the risk of reoperation in patients who underwent decompressive lumbar surgery and to analyze the connection between different variables before the primary surgery to the risk of surgical revision. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Lumbar decompressive spinal surgery is a very common procedure. However, the tendency of restenosis with clinical effect on the patients increases with time. Outcome studies reported that rate of reoperation has ranged from 0% to 23%. No studies so far analyzed the rate of reoperation in elderly patients in long-term follow-up and the different variables that contributed to it. METHODS: Between 1990 and 2000, 357 patients more than 65 years of age underwent decompressive surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis with a mean follow-up of 64 months. Thirty-one patients (8.7%) were reoperated at least once. Twenty-five of them (81%) were followed. Demographic data, body mass index, associated comorbidities, preoperative risk as assessed by the scale of the American Society of Anesthesiology, type of surgery, pain perception by Visual Analog Scale, duration of symptoms, clinical presentation, walking ability (distance in meters), the level of basic activities of daily living was evaluated by the Barthel index, and overall satisfaction from the surgery were recorded and analyzed. For comparison between the reoperated patients and patients who were not reoperated, another group of 25 patients who were not reoperated (of our cohort) was studied. These patients were matched to the reoperated patients in terms of age (±2 y), sex, body mass index, and time elapsed since surgery (±3 mo). RESULTS: Overall rate of revision surgery was 8.7% in a period of 70 months follow-up. Twenty-one patients (80%) underwent 1 revision surgery, 4 patients (16%) underwent 2 revisions, and 1 patient (4%) had 3 revisions. The mean pain-free interval was 26 months. There were no sex differences in the rate of reoperation (10% in females and 7% in males, P>0.05). Although that only 36% of the patients were very or somewhat satisfied with overall revision results, significant improvement in pain perception (change in Visual Analog Scale score of 4.84, P<0.001) and in functional status (Barthel index increased in 15.2 points, P<0.001) were found after revision surgery. Six cases (19%) were operated in the first 2 years, 16 cases (52%) in the first 4 years, 24 cases (77%) in the first 6 years, and additional 7 cases (23%) were reoperated more than 6 years after the first operation. CONCLUSIONS: Even in reoperated elderly patients with spinal stenosis without spinal fusion, an improvement in functional status and somewhat in pain perception can be anticipated.

C-reactive protein (CRP): an important diagnostic and prognostic tool in nursing-home-associated pneumonia.

Pneumonia is the second most common infection in long term care (LTC) residents and is a leading cause of death from infection in those groups of patients. Atypical presentations and fewer presenting signs and symptoms in older patients complicate diagnosis and delay initiation of adequate treatment. The aim of this study was to compare laboratory CRP levels to pneumonia severity scores, in prediction of short-term death from pneumonia. Diagnosis of pneumonia was performed according to the criteria of McGeer for the identification of pneumonia at an LTC facility. The severities of pneumonia and mortality prediction were assessed by three indices: PSI (pneumonia severity index), Missouri study index and the nursing home associated pneumonia (NHAP) severity index. A strong positive correlation was found between CRP levels and PSI (r=0.445, p<0.001), Missouri study index (r=0.315, p<0.001) and NHAP severity index (r=0.246, p=0.002). The initial values of CRP were significantly higher in patients with short term mortality and positively correlated with rate of death (r=0.493, p<0.001). By multivariate regression analysis, the variables that were independently and significantly associated with the rate of death included presence and duration of fever, respiratory rate, serum CRP and albumin levels, lymphocyte count, number of comorbid diseases, CHF, and DM (the R2 was 0.711 and 0.685 when adjusted). Because presentation of nursing home acquired pneumonia is not specific, it is suggested that CRP should be performed in every patient with a suspicion of pneumonia.

Delirium in long-term care setting: indicator to severe morbidity.

We aimed to investigate the incidence and characterize predictors associated with delirium in elderly demented and functionally dependent LTC patients. Data collection included: demographic, clinical, functional, nutritional and cognitive data as well as blood counts and chemistry analysis. The tools used to detect delirium were the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and the Delirium Rating Scale (DRS), supported by clinical observation. The occurrence of delirium was 34%. The predominant primary etiologies for delirium were infections (58%), following by metabolic abnormalities (36%), and adverse drug effects (18%). The mean duration of delirium was 15.74 days (2-96 days). Independent predictors influencing duration of delirium were low plasma albumin level, high number of comorbid diseases, male gender, advanced age and presence of CVD. Complete resolution of the delirium was found in 33% (30/92), with persistence in 12% (11/92), and no change in 8% (7/92) of the patients. Forty-eight percent (44/92) of the patients died. Most deaths (50%) were in the first month. The main cause of death was infection related (70%), of which bronchopneumonia was predominant (39%), followed by sepsis (32%). Independent predictors of death were infection, advanced age, low plasma albumin level, dehydration and CHF. The early recognition, identification, correction and treatment of underlying conditions especially in very demented, uncooperative and functionally dependent patients may influence their outcome. Any changes in cognitive and functional status are critical in monitoring LTC patients.

Gender differences influence the outcome of geriatric rehabilitation following hip fracture.

Hip fracture represents the most dramatic expression of the disease, in terms of morbidity, medical cost and mortality. The incidence of hip fracture increases substantially with age. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between gender and geriatric rehabilitation outcome after traumatic hip fracture. Ninety-nine community-dwelling elderly patients (older than 65 years), 64 women and 35 men, who were admitted to geriatric rehabilitation after operated hip fracture were studied. We assessed the patients' clinical and demographic data, preoperative risk (ASA), type of fracture and orthopedic repair, pain intensity (VAS), cognitive (MMSE), mood (Zung IDS), and functional status (FIM) on admission and at the end of geriatric rehabilitation. Men had higher mean number of comorbid conditions at the time of the fracture. Men recovered more from depressed mood in comparison with women during the rehabilitation. Significant improvement in FIM motor subscore on discharge was found in both groups. The FIM motor subscore gain was higher in men (24.47) in comparison with women (19.22, p=0.036). Those differences were demonstrated in mean subscores of transfers (p=0.004), and locomotion (p=0.019). Women were more functionally dependent in locomotion, transfers and sphincter control. There were no differences between the groups by duration on rehabilitation stay. Recovery after hip fracture depends in large part on the pre-fracture health and functional ability of the patient. Gender differences in functional recovery may affect therapeutic and rehabilitative decision making. Functional recovery after traumatic hip fracture was better in men in comparison with women.

Prevalence of hypomagnesemia (HM) in a geriatric long-term care (LTC) setting.

Electrolyte abnormalities are frequently observed in elderly long-term care (LTC) patients. Magnesium is a trace mineral, but is the second most abundant intracellular cation and the fourth most abundant cation in the body. This was a cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of hypomagnesemia (HM) in non-selected elderly LTC patients. A total of 159 patients aged 65 years and older were included in the study. The attributes and variables related to the patients' hospital course were used to compare the two groups. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to correlate magnesium levels with demographic, clinical factors and laboratory data. HM was found in 36% of the patients, of whom 35% presented with moderate HM (0.8-0.9 microequiv./l) and 18% with severe HM (

Detection of urinary tract infection (UTI) in long-term care setting: Is the multireagent strip an adequate diagnostic tool?

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most commonly diagnosed and treated infection in elderly residents of long-term care (LTC) setting, and most of them are asymptomatic. Early diagnosis and treatment especially in this group of patients is very important because even a brief delay contributes to mortality as well as to reduce functional and cognitive decline. The purpose of the present study was to determine the validity of multireagent strips (Multistix 10 SG, Bayer, UK) compared with standard urinalysis for the early detection of UTI in LTC elderly patients. Urine specimens were examined for the presence of leukocyte esterase (LE) activity as an indicator of pyuria, nitrite production as an indicator of bacteriuria, erythrocytes (RBC), and protein. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, kappa agreement, and likelihood ration were determined for each of the four dipstick parameters measurement separately, and in four combinations were calculated against the urine culture for the diagnosis of UTI and asymptomatic bacteriuria. Ninety-six patients aged 65 years and older with symptomatic UTI were compared with similar number, age, sex and comorbidity status matched patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria. In both groups, urinary culture results were compared with the results of multireagent strips. The multireagent strips results were evaluated for the presence of LE activity as an indicator of pyuria, nitrite production as an indicator of bacteriuria, RBC, and protein. All positive sticks results were evaluated as single parameter and in combination of them. Positive urine cultures were found in 71% (68/96) of the patients with symptomatic and in 60% (58/96; p>0.05) of patients with asymptomatic UTI. In patients with UTI, using multireagent strips kappa agreement for LE was 0.53, for nitrite was 0.14, and in combination of them was 0.31. Similar results were reported in patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria, 0.35, 0.23, and 0.35m. The detection of RBC and protein, as single parameter or in combination with other parameters, decreases accuracy of the tests. Positive dipstick tests for LE and/or nitrite are not specific indicators of UTI, and are not suitable for screening of LTC inpatients for UTI because of high false-negative rates of the LE and nitrite.

Evaluation of the benefits of enteral nutrition in long-term care elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Demented patients may refuse to eat as they come closer to the end of their lives. We evaluated the effectiveness of enteral nutrition in the improvement of survival and nutritional and functional status in very dependent and demented long-term care (LTC) elderly patients and its correlation with the nutritional parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-seven elderly patients, aged 60 years and older, who received nutrition by the enteral route (enteral nutrition group, ENG), were compared with 110 age-, sex-, comorbibity-, cognitive-, and dependent-matched subjects (control group, CG). Indications for enteral nutrition, type of tube; weight status subsequent to enteral nutrition; cognitive, functional, and pressure sore status; and complete clinical, complete blood count, and biochemical profile were recorded for each subject on initiation and conclusion of the study. RESULTS: Enteral nutrition was associated with improvement in blood count (hemoglobin and lymphocyte count), in renal function tests and electrolytes (BUN, creatinine, BUN/creatinine ratio, sodium and potassium), hydration status, serum osmolarity, and in serum proteins (total protein, albumin, and transferrin), but not in serum cholesterol and CRP levels. Decline in functional and in cognitive status was higher in CG than in ENG (Delta changes; respectively P = .24 and P < .001). ENG had a higher Norton scale than CG (Delta changes; P < .001). Mortality rate was higher in ENG (42%) than in CG (27%, P > .05). Complication rate related to nutrition was higher in ENG than in CG (61% and 34%, respectively; P < .001). CONCLUSION: Enteral nutrition does not have an advantage over oral nutrition in prolonging life or preventing pressure sore development in an LTC setting.

Long-term outcome of decompressive surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis in octogenarians.

The purpose of our prospective study is to evaluate the surgical outcome among patients aged 80 years and above, who underwent surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis. We assessed patients' clinical and demographic data, procedures, perioperative complications, preoperative and postoperative pain intensity, basic activities of daily living (BADL), patients' satisfaction, the need for repeated surgery, and overall mortality. Thirty-nine patients more than 80 years of age were operated in our institution in the last decade. Twenty-five of them were followed-up with a mean 36.8 months after the operation. The Barthel index was used to evaluate pre and postsurgery ADL, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain. The satisfaction rate of the patients before and after the operation and the complication rate were also evaluated. A significant reduction in VAS (P < 0.001) and a significant increase in the Barthel index (P < 0.001) were recorded. Seventy-six percent of the patients were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the operative results. Fifty-two percent of the patients had complications (0.9 complications per patients), however, about half of them were minor. No operative or perioperative mortality was noticed and the overall hospital stay for these elderly patients was 3.6 days on average. Surgery in very old elderly patients is safe and effective in the treatment of spinal stenosis, who did not respond well to the conservative treatment. The surgery did not increase the associated morbidity and mortality and most of the patients benefited from the surgery in terms of reduction in pain, increase in ADL and walking ability and overall increase in the satisfaction rate.

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in elderly patients received enteral nutrition long-term care service.

The purpose of this study was to determinate the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (UDM) using glycated hemoglobin (GHb) among functionally dependent and severe cognitive depressed elderly long-term care (LTC) patients received enteral nutrition. The patients were divided into three categories: control, patients with (diabetes mellitus, DM) and without previously diagnoses (UDM) of DM. Demographic, functional and cognitive status, laboratory data and rate of death were recorded. Patients with HbA-1c level of 7% and more were diagnosed as diabetic. On the baseline, 26% of the patients presented with known DM. Patients from control and previously UDM groups presented with similar fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and post-prandial glucose (PPG) levels, but were different by HbA-1c levels (p<0.001). In 79% of patients suffering from UDM, HbA-1c levels was more than 7%, and in 24% of them more than 8%. Prevalence of UDM was 21%. Patients from UDM were presented as borderline group between Control group (C-G) and DM. Those differences presented by all general characteristics of the patients: age, functional and cognitive status, BMI, comorbidity, laboratory data and rate of death. This study suggests that 47% of LTC patients who received enteral nutrition suffered from DM, and 44% of them were undiagnosed. The authors recommend that the GHb is a simple and an effective laboratory analysis in detection of DM in this group of patients.

Lumbar spine surgery in Israeli Arabs and Jews: a comparative study with emphasis on pain perception.

BACKGROUND: Surgery for spinal stenosis is a frequent procedure in elderly patients. Presentation, hospital course, and outcome of disease including pain perception may vary among patients of different ethnic origin. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether differences in various medical indicators can explain differences in pain perception between two ethnic groups. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study on the experience of two spinal units treating a mixed Arab and Jewish population, and compared the data on 85 Arab and 189 Jewish patients undergoing spinal lumbar surgery. RESULTS: Arab patients were younger (P = 0.027), less educated (P < 0.001), had a higher body mass index (P = 0.004) and included a higher proportion of diabetics (P = 0.013). Preoperative pain intensity (P = 0.023) and functional disability (P = 0.005) were more prominent, and factors associated with pre- or postoperative pain perception differed between the two ethnic groups. Despite these differences, results on follow-up were similar with respect to pain perception and level of disability. CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of ethnic differences is crucial for predicting surgery outcomes.

Pain perception during the rehabilitation phase following traumatic hip fracture in the elderly is an important prognostic factor and treatment tool.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of pain perception on admission to geriatric rehabilitation on the functional recovery after rehabilitation treatment in elderly patients with hip fracture and on the length of stay. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-five community dwelling elderly 65-year-old and over (mean age of 78 years), following recent operated traumatic hip fracture without clinical evidence for another acute medical or surgical condition were assessed regarding age, sex, chronic medical conditions, pre-fracture functional status, type of fracture and of operation, pain perception, and cognitive status. Pain was measured using the Visual Analogue Score (VAS). Functional status was measured using the Functional Independence Measurement (FIM). Activities of Daily Living (ADL) were assessed using the Katz index. RESULTS: The average VAS score on admission was 7.38 +/- 1.20 and on discharge 3.67 +/- 1.18. Pain on admission inversely correlated to family support, function prior to fracture and cognitive status on admission, and correlated positively with depressed mood. With every increase of one point in VAS on admission above 4 points, the FIM on discharge decreased by 8.77 and the length of stay increased by 4.76 days. CONCLUSIONS: Pain intensity may add a valuable dimension for the prognostic evaluation of the patients with hip fractures. Inadequate early patient assessment and associated treatment impact on the patients' functional outcome, prolonged duration of rehabilitation treatment, and therefore, in addition to socio-economic effect, increase the cost to the local health care setting.

Efficacy and complications of patient-controlled analgesia treatment after spinal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain is one of the most common therapeutic problems in hospitals. Patient-controlled analgesia has gained popularity over the last decade in dealing with this problem. The goal of this article is to examine the effect of PCA in patients who underwent spinal fusion and to measure its effect on the different sexes and age groups. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-seven patients who underwent spinal fusion for lumbar instability at our institution comprise this study. All patients received PCA in a certain protocol. Pain was measured according to the VAS, and any complications due to the use of PCA were recorded. RESULTS: Patient-controlled analgesia reduced the VAS in all age groups. Reduction in VAS was higher in the age group of 60 years or more. No significant differences in VAS reduction were noted between males and females. In 40% of our patients, complications were recorded. Eight percent reported more than 1 complication. However, these complications were nonfatal, and all patients responded well to conservative treatment. On termination of the study, most patients (213/237) were satisfied with the PCA procedure for reducing their pain. CONCLUSION: We conclude that PCA is an effective and safe method with high satisfaction rate in postoperative pain control in patients who undergo spinal fusion.

Infection-related hypoglycemia in institutionalized demented patients: a comparative study of diabetic and nondiabetic patients.

Hypoglycemia is common in elderly community dwelling patients and may accompany episodes of acute infection. We analyzed the interrelations of clinical variables with infection-related hypoglycemia (IRH) and its outcome in institutionalized demented elderly patients, with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). This is a retrospective cohort study involving residents of a large long term-care facility. We measured demographic, clinical, functional, nutritional and cognitive data as well as blood counts and chemistry analysis. We identified 65 elderly patients with IRH and compared data of 33 diabetic patients with 32 nondiabetic patients. Mean age of patients was 77.7 years and mean Mini-Mental score of 1.8. Diabetic patients were younger, more cognitively impaired, had a lower functional score (nonsignificant differences), but presented with more comorbidities, compared with nondiabetics (p=0.004). Mean blood glucose levels in diabetics and nondiabetics were 53.2 and 54.3 mg/dl, respectively. Only 22% of the patients showed clinical signs indicating hypoglycemia. Multivariate analysis showed that, in groups, comorbidity and functional status, creatinine, albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and total cholesterol were all associated with IRH. During a 6 months period, 58% (38/65) of the patients died, out of whom 47% (18/38) died within one month following the documentation of IRH. There were no statistically significant differences in short and late mortality rates between patients with and without DM. we conclude that asymptomatic IRH in institutionalized demented elderly is frequently associated with common respiratory and urinary infections, in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. IRH seems to indicate a poor general health status rather than being the cause of death. Blood glucose needs to be screened in this population during common infections, also in nondiabetics, to identify patients at high risk.

Evaluation response and effectiveness of thyroid hormone replacement treatment on lipid profile and function in elderly patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.

Positive effect of thyroid hormone replacement (THR) on lipid profile is well defined. Effectiveness of THR on lipid profile and function among elderly patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) has not yet been concluded. This is a population-based cross-sectional study. Twenty-six elderly patients with SCH were compared with 31 patients with clinical hypothyroidism (CH). Before the study neither group had received THR therapy. Data on lipid profile, demographic, functional, and cognitive status were obtained at baseline. SCH was defined as an elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level (> 4.67 mU/l) and normal serum free thyroxine (FT(4)) level. Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG) were measured after overnight fast. The level of lower density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was calculated. Both studied groups received levothyroxyne replacement and re-evaluated after 3 months of euthyroidism. Functional and cognitive status were evaluated by the activity of daily living (ADL) and mini mental state evaluation (MMSE), respectively. Participants with SCH did not differ from patients with CH regarding age, gender, cognitive, and functional status, and prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CD) was similar in both groups. Most patients (24/26) with SCH had TSH levels lower than 10 mU/l. Response to THR therapy regarding the improvement of blood levels of TC, LDL, and TG had a non-significant trend, which seemed to be better in patients with SCH than in those with CH. Decreases, TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were greater in patients SCH (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0004, respectively) than in patients with CH. Improvement in cognitive and functional status and decrease in mean blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) were found in both of studied groups. It was shown that THR among patients with SCH is beneficial not only by improvement in lipid profile, as well as by improvement in cognitive and functional status, but also in decreasing blood pressure and BMI.

Drug use in a geriatric long-term care setting: comparison between newly admitted and institutionalised patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Advanced age, co-morbid diseases, functional dependence and frailty are associated with polypharmacy and overall high health expenditures. Polypharmacy is commonly defined as the concomitant ingestion of four or more medications, particularly in community-dwelling patients, but the number of drugs being taken by institutionalised and hospitalised patients may be as high as ten. The aim of this study was to compare drug use in newly admitted patients (AP) to a geriatric medical centre for long-term care (LTC) with that of institutionalised patients (IP) at the centre. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, between January 2001 and December 2002, in 324 functionally dependent and cognitively impaired elderly patients (> or = 65 years of age), consisting of 167 IP (127 females, 40 males) staying at the centre for > or = 3 months and 157 (117 females, 40 males) consecutive new admissions for LTC. All patients underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment, which included a structured medical history, history of drug use, physical examination and functional and cognitive examinations. Overall drug use, drug categories and the basis of use (regular and/or as needed) were compared between the two groups of patients. The pattern of drug use was defined as use of drugs either on a 'regular' basis or on an 'as needed' basis at any time during the 3 weeks preceding the comprehensive geriatric assessment. RESULTS: IPs were younger, more dependent, more cognitively impaired, had more co-morbidity and had nonsignificantly higher overall drug use than APs. APs used drugs mainly on a 'regular' basis. All of the IPs and most (97%) of the APs were taking drugs according to regular regimens. However, advanced age in IPs was associated with lower overall drug use, predominantly of medications taken on a 'regular' basis, and higher use of drugs taken on an 'as needed' basis, whereas in APs, advanced age was associated with higher use of both types of medications. CONCLUSION: IPs used more drugs on an 'as needed' basis, probably because of closer medical supervision of these patients than those in the community. Better knowledge of the patient's medical condition and treatment, together with better monitoring in the community through patient caregiver instruction, on the one hand, and computerisation of medical data accessible to all healthcare providers, on the other hand, might reduce drug use on a regular basis and, consequently, the costly and adverse effects of polypharmacy.

Antiepileptic drug use and the occurrence of pressure ulcers among bedridden institutionalized elderly patients: a retrospective chart review.

BACKGROUND: Phenytoin (PH) is indicated primarily for the control of grand mal and psychomotor seizures. However, topical PH has been used for the treatment of various types of ulcers, including pressure ulcers. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of a relationship between the use of oral PH and the prevalence of pressure ulcers among bedridden institutionalized elderly patients. METHODS: This retrospective chart review was conducted in a state-run urban geriatric medical center in Israel and involved long-term bedridden institutionalized patients who were receiving chronic antiepileptic medication during the 7-year period between January 1996 and December 2003. The prevalence of pressure ulcers in patients who received treatment with PH alone or in combination with other antiepileptic drugs was compared with that in patients who received antiepileptic agents other than PH. RESULTS: The study analyzed data from the medical charts of 153 patients, 72 of whom received PH alone or in combination with other antiepileptic drugs, and 81 of whom received antiepileptic agents other than PH. Patients' mean (SD) age was 78.5 (7.2) years; 106 (69.3%) were women. All patients were totally dependent with respect to activities of daily living (mean Katz score, 2.0 [2.0]) and had severe cognitive decline (mean Mini-Mental State Examination score, 3.5 [3.3]). Pressure ulcers occurred in 9.7% of PH recipients and 27.2% of non-PH recipients (P = 0.006; chi2 = 7.55). In PH recipients, 85.7% of pressure ulcers were of mild to moderate severity (stage I or II), compared with 59.1% of ulcers in non-PH recipients; the difference between groups was not statistically significant. Four (18.2%) non-PH recipients and no PH recipients had stage IV pressure ulcers. In the PH group, 71.4% of patients had a pressure ulcer in only 1 anatomic location, compared with 22.7% of the non-PH group (P = 0.023; chi2 = 5.13); 28.6% of PH recipients and 63.6% of non-PH recipients had pressure ulcers in 2 or 3 anatomic locations; and 3 (13.6%) non-PH recipients and no PH recipients had pressure ulcers in > or = 4 areas. CONCLUSIONS: In the long-term bedridden institutionalized patients studied, those who received PH had lower rates of pressure ulcers, as well as less severe ulcers. PH may be a useful anticonvulsive agent in frail elderly patients, who are at risk for the development of pressure ulcers.

Gender differences as an influence on patients' satisfaction rates in spinal surgery of elderly patients.

There is an increased rate of lumbar spinal operations in elderly patients due to lumbar spinal stenosis. Many factors affect the decision of the patient and surgeon to perform the operation, among which are the age of the patient, comorbidities and willingness to undergo surgery. However, the gender of the patient is rarely taken into consideration as a factor for performing the operation. The satisfaction of the patient is an important factor to assess the operative success retrospectively. Therefore, we assessed the differences caused by gender on the satisfaction of elderly patients following lumbar spinal surgery. Three hundred and sixty-seven elderly patients (>65 years) treated in our institution from 1990 to 2000 for lumbar spinal stenosis and who underwent laminectomy without fusion filled in a questionnaire prior to operation regarding their gender, demographic status, comorbidities, activities of daily living (ADL) using the Barthel index, and pain according to visual analogue scale. At follow-up, a telephone interview on 298 patients was structured and included the same pre-operative questions and additional questions regarding the satisfaction rate from surgery. Two hundred and ninety-eight patients responded to our telephone interview with a minimum follow-up of 1 year (mean: 64 months). After surgery, both women and men showed improvement in their ADL, and reduction in pain perception. The number of very satisfied patients was similar in both groups, but women were significantly more dissatisfied with the operation. The surgical parameters, including complications, did not differ between the groups. Gender differences were found to influence the satisfaction rate of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery. Women tend to have less satisfactory results than men. The reasons for that are probably multifactorial and are not related to the surgery per se.