Association of Sleep Quality Status With Worsening Low Back or Knee Pain During The COVID-19 State of Emergency Among Old-Old Adults.

BACKGROUND: Poor sleep quality has a negative effect on pain among older adults. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) state of emergency, lifestyle changes can cause psychologic stressors and lead to poor sleep quality. AIM: This study examined whether sleep quality status was associated with low back or knee pain changes during the COVID-19 state of emergency among community-dwelling Japanese old-old adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional investigation. METHODS: In July 2020, during the COVID-19 epidemic, we conducted a postal survey for old-old adults aged ≥77 years and collected data on 597 participants. For those who had low back or knee pain at the time of the survey (in July), characteristics such as low back pain, knee pain, changes in pain status, and sleep quality status during the COVID-19 state of emergency (in March) were assessed. RESULTS: Data from 597 participants showed the prevalence of low back pain (50.6%) and knee pain (40.7%) in July. Of those with low back or knee pain, 374 had pain changes during the state of emergency, with 12.3% worsening. Of these, 23.9% had poor sleep quality in March compared to non-change (p = .008). In a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for potential confounders, poor sleep quality was significantly associated with pain worsening (odds ratio 2.80, 95% confidence interval 1.26-6.22). CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 state of emergency, poor sleep quality was associated with worsening low back or knee pain. This may indicate the need to pay attention to poor sleep quality to prevent the exacerbation of pain among old-old adults.

Association of Health Literacy with the Implementation of Exercise during the Declaration of COVID-19 State of Emergency among Japanese Community-Dwelling Old-Old Adults.

Health literacy is important for promoting and maintaining good health in old-old adults. It may influence the implementation of exercise in the coronavirus disease epidemic. The present cross-sectional study investigated the association of each dimension of health literacy with the implementation of exercise during the declaration of a state of emergency due to coronavirus disease in community-dwelling old-old adults. We collected data from 483 community-dwelling old-old adults (52.8% women) aged between 77 and 99 years who participated in a mail survey. Participants were divided into exercise or nonexercise groups based on the implementation of exercise during the declaration of a state of emergency. Health literacy was assessed using a 14-item health literacy scale. There were 327 (67.7%) participants in the exercise group and 156 (32.3%) in the nonexercise group. A significantly higher score of health literacy was observed in the exercise group than in the nonexercise group (communicative health literacy score = 14.0 ± 3.6 vs. 12.7 ± 3.8, p = 0.001). In a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for potential confounders, high communicative health literacy scores were significantly associated with the implementation of exercise during the declaration of a state of emergency (odds ratio = 1.88, 95% confidence interval = 1.20-2.93). Approximately two-thirds of community-dwelling old-old adults implement exercise during the declaration of a state of emergency. High communicative health literacy was associated with the implementation of exercise during this period.

Perceived declining physical and cognitive fitness during the COVID-19 state of emergency among community-dwelling Japanese old-old adults.

AIM: Perceived health status, including physical and cognitive fitness, will be negatively associated with future health conditions among old-old adults. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused sudden changes in lifestyle. Thus, this study examined the associations of participation in an exercise class before the COVID-19 pandemic and the exercise habits and disruption to the rhythms of daily life during the COVID-19 state of emergency with perceived declining physical and cognitive fitness among community-dwelling old-old adults. METHODS: In July 2020, we carried out a mail survey of community-dwelling old-old adults aged between 77 and 99 years in Bibai, Hokkaido, Japan, to determine their perceived declining physical and cognitive fitness during the COVID-19 state of emergency. RESULTS: Of the 774 responders, 339 (43.8%) participants reported a decline in physical fitness, whereas 259 (33.5%) perceived declining cognitive fitness during the COVID-19 state of emergency. In a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for potential confounders, exercise habits during the COVID-19 state of emergency were significantly associated with a lower perception of declining physical fitness. Disruption to the rhythms of daily life during the COVID-19 state of emergency was significantly associated with a higher perception of declining physical and cognitive fitness. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half and more than one-third of community-dwelling old-old adults perceived declining physical and cognitive fitness, respectively, during the COVID-19 state of emergency. During this period, exercise habits were positively correlated with perceived health status among old-old adults, whereas disruption to the rhythms of daily life was negatively correlated. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 364-369.

[Airway Management in a Patient with Forestier's Disease].

Airway management in a patient with Forestier's disease can be challenging clinically because this disease may cause not only dysphagia but also airway obstruction due to the compression of the pharynx and esophagus caused by the ossification of anterior longitudinal ligament. We report our anesthetic management in a patient with Forestier's disease. Meanwhile, we studied the causes of difficult airway and the most suitable airway device for a patient with this disease from a standpoint of anatomy of upper airway. Our study indicated the possibility that the most suitable airway device differed depending on the actual location of the ossification of anterior longitudinal ligament in the cervical spine and that more prudent airway management would be required if its lesion location extended to upper cervical spine.

Association between presystolic ventricular flash and left ventricular functional recovery after cardiac resynchronization therapy.

The presence of septal flash (SF), an early inward/outward motion of the ventricular septum, has been reported to predict a fair response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with heart failure. Using speckle tracking echocardiography, we investigated whether the extent of pre-CRT SF was associated with left ventricular (LV) functional recovery after CRT device implantation. Fifteen patients with left bundle branch block with a mean LV ejection fraction of 23 ± 9% were enrolled in this study. The extent of presystolic ventricular flash (PSVF), which was defined if there was a peak in the radial strain curve in the preejection period, was semiquantified by counting the number of PSVF-positive segments. Patients underwent radial strain analysis before and between 3 and 6 months after CRT. After CRT device implantation, LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes were decreased, LV ejection fraction was increased, and LV filling time corrected by RR interval was increased. The number of PSVF-positive segments at baseline showed a graded association with improvement in both LV ejection fraction and LV filling time. In conclusion, the finding that a larger number of PSVF-positive segments before CRT predicted fair LV functional recovery after CRT suggests that PSVF may represent a substrate that is amenable to functional response to CRT.

[Despite medication, overdrive pacing is required to stabilize the electrical storm associated with acute coronary syndrome: a case report].

A 75-year-old female complained of severe chest pain and was emergently admitted to our hospital because of anterior acute myocardial infarction. Emergent coronary angiography was performed and revealed occlusion in segment 7, so a stent was implanted. Lidocaine, carvedilol, amiodarone, magnesium, and nifekalant were administered successively because non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) frequently appeared like an electrical storm. After nifekalant administration, QTc was significantly prolonged and torsades de pointes was induced. Overdrive pacing was performed and finally the NSVT was completely controlled. If fatal arrhythmias such as NSVT show resistance to medication, overdrive pacing should be considered to stabilize the arrhythmia associated with acute coronary syndrome.

[A case of monoplegia from conversion disorder after spinal anesthesia].

Neurological complications related to spinal anesthesia are exceptional, but their consequences are serious. We report a case of conversion disorder, which was initially diagnosed as monoplegia caused by spinal anesthesia. The patient was a 36-year-old, 88 kg woman with a history of psychogenic aphonia. She underwent plastic surgery for both toes under spinal anesthesia. On the following day, her left leg remained paralyzed with loss of sensation below the knee level. She practiced walking according to rehabilitation program, but paralysis became worse gradually. As the hospitalization was prolonged, she refused to be discharged from the hospital and began to demand the compensation. Her symptoms had not been correlated with the correct anatomical patterns of neurological deficit. The reflexes and muscle's tonus were normal and EMG gave normal findings. The result of neurological diagnosis, confirmed the diagnosis of conversion disorder causing her monoplegia because she was under psychic stressful circumstances from her family. Conversion disorder as a cause of monoplegia after surgery under spinal anesthesia should be kept in mind.