Clinical interventions in aging
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Clinical Trial
Pulsed radiofrequency treatment of articular branches of femoral and obturator nerves for chronic hip pain.
Chronic hip pain is a common symptom experienced by many people. Often, surgery is not an option for patients with multiple comorbidities, and conventional drugs either have many side effects or are ineffective. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is a new method in the treatment of pain. We attempt to compare the efficacy of PRF relative to conservative management for chronic hip pain. ⋯ When compared with conservative treatment, PRF of the articular branches of the femoral and obturator nerves offers greater pain relief for chronic hip pain and can augment physical functioning.
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Stroke prevention in elderly atrial fibrillation patients remains a challenge. There is a high risk of stroke and systemic thromboembolism but also a high risk of bleeding if anticoagulants are prescribed. ⋯ For all these reasons, anticoagulant use is underutilized in the elderly. In this manuscript, the benefits of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants compared with warfarin in the elderly patient population with multiple comorbid conditions are reviewed.
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Multicenter Study
Is cemented bipolar hemiarthroplasty a safe treatment for femoral neck fracture in elderly patients?
Controversy exists regarding the use of cement in hemiarthroplasty when treating a displaced femoral neck fracture in elderly patients. The primary hypothesis of this study was that the use of cement would afford better visual analog pain and activity scores in elderly patients. ⋯ The use of cement during hip hemiarthroplasty in patients over 65 years of age had no negative impact on mortality or morbidity. Hemodynamic changes during cement application are important, but it is noteworthy that patients fitted with cemented endoprostheses had increased levels of activity and lower pain levels.
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The use of compassionate extubation (CE) to alleviate suffering by terminating mechanical ventilation and withdrawing the endotracheal tube requires professional adherence and efficiency. The Hospice Palliative Care Act, amended on January 9, 2013, legalizes the CE procedure in Taiwan. ⋯ CE was carried out according to protocol, and the median time from extubation to death varies determined by the underlying disease which was 0.3 hour in patients admitted after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and 97 hours in patients with advanced cancer.
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Comparative Study
A comparison between uni- and multidimensional frailty measures: prevalence, functional status, and relationships with disability.
Over the years, a plethora of frailty assessment tools has been developed. These instruments can be basically grouped into two types of conceptualizations - unidimensional, based on the physical-biological dimension - and multidimensional, based on the connections among the physical, psychological, and social domains. At present, studies on the comparison between uni- and multidimensional frailty measures are limited. ⋯ Data reported here confirm that different instruments capture different frail individuals. Clinicians and researchers have to consider the different abilities of the two measures to detect frail individuals.