Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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Letter Review Case Reports
Gabapentin withdrawal: case report in an older adult and review of the literature.
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Review Meta Analysis
Causes and prevalence of unplanned readmissions after colorectal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the current literature was conducted to compare the overall and cause-specific readmission rates after colorectal surgery of older adults with those of younger individuals. Potential predictors of unplanned readmission were also identified. Estimated pooled readmission rates were calculated and reported as pooled proportions with associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) in 60,131 total readmissions; 11.0% (95% CI = 10.0-12.0) of all admissions after colorectal surgery resulted in unplanned readmission at 30 days. ⋯ Bowel obstruction was the most common cause of unplanned readmission, accounting for 33.4% of all unplanned readmissions, followed by surgical site infection (15.7%) and intraabdominal abscess (12.6%). Several age-related predictors of unplanned readmission were identified, such as poor functional capacity, multiple comorbidities, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and discharge to a nonhome destination. The findings of this review will help guide the development of future interventions to reduce preventable readmissions after colorectal surgery in older adults.
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To systematically document the implementation, components, comparators, adherence, and effectiveness of published fall prevention approaches in U.S. acute care hospitals. ⋯ Promising approaches exist, but better reporting of outcomes, implementation, adherence, intervention components, and comparison group information is necessary to establish evidence on how hospitals can successfully prevent falls.
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To identify valid tools to diagnose delirium superimposed on dementia. ⋯ The evidence base on tools for detection of delirium superimposed on dementia is limited, although some existing tools show promise. Further studies of existing or refined tools with larger samples and more-detailed characterization of dementia are required to address the identification of delirium superimposed on dementia.
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Each year in the United States, individuals who lack decision-making capacity because of acute or chronic cognitive impairment are in situations in which important medical decisions must be made for them, but tens of thousands of these individuals have no known family members or designated surrogates available to help with those decisions. Such individuals constitute 16% of patients in intensive care units, 3% of nursing home residents, and a large but unspecified number of individuals in a variety of settings who are facing end-of-life decisions. ⋯ Additionally, because clinical care teams must wrestle with uncertainty about best approaches to care, lengths of hospital stay for individuals without family are longer, resulting in higher healthcare costs and potentially more-aggressive interventions than individuals with family experience. This article reviews medical decision-making for older adults without families or designated surrogates and proposes a solution: "health fiduciaries"--a new type of professional trained and certified to act as a surrogate decision-maker for individuals who are unable to make decisions for themselves.