Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
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Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be classified into groups A/C or B/D based on symptom intensity. Different threshold values for symptom questionnaires can result in misclassification and, in turn, different treatment recommendations. The primary aim was to find the best fitting cut-points for Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) symptom measures, with an modified Medical Research Council dyspnea grade of 2 or higher as point of reference. ⋯ The application of these new cut-points would reclassify about one-third of the patients with COPD and, thus, would impact on individual disease management. Further validation in prospective studies of these new values are needed.
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Review Meta Analysis
Frailty and Mortality Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Frailty has been identified as a risk factor for mortality. However, whether frailty increases mortality risk in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been controversial. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the frailty measures and mortality outcomes in this setting. ⋯ Frailty leads to significantly higher mortality rates in patients who have undergone PCI. Both the Fried score and Canadian Study of Health and Aging Clinical Frailty Scale are powerful predictors of mortality. These findings may support the notion that an alternative to invasive strategy should be considered in frail patients who are indicated for revascularization.
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Review Meta Analysis
Frailty and Mortality Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Frailty has been identified as a risk factor for mortality. However, whether frailty increases mortality risk in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been controversial. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the frailty measures and mortality outcomes in this setting. ⋯ Frailty leads to significantly higher mortality rates in patients who have undergone PCI. Both the Fried score and Canadian Study of Health and Aging Clinical Frailty Scale are powerful predictors of mortality. These findings may support the notion that an alternative to invasive strategy should be considered in frail patients who are indicated for revascularization.
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A precise quantitative measurement of skeletal muscle mass is fundamental for diagnosing sarcopenia in older individuals. The current techniques of assessment, including dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bioimpedance analysis (BIA), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are either difficult to perform in everyday clinical practice or biased by concurrent clinical confounders. B-mode muscle ultrasound can be helpful in assessing muscle mass and architecture, and thus possibly useful for diagnosing or screening sarcopenia. ⋯ The current literature does not allow to make conclusive recommendations about the use of muscle ultrasound in geriatric practice. However, this technique is very promising, and further studies should validate its applications in the context of sarcopenia assessment.
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Nursing home (NH) residents are a frail and vulnerable population often faced with iatrogenic effects of hospital stays when transferred to emergency departments for acute changes in health status. Avoidable or unnecessary transfers of care need to be identified and defined to prevent unintended harm. The aim of this scoping review was to identify characteristics of avoidable or unnecessary transitions of NH residents to emergency departments, and examine factors influencing decision-making by NH staff, residents, and their family members to transfer nursing home residents to emergency departments. ⋯ Findings suggest that transfers of NH residents to emergency departments may be avoided with increased care capacity within NHs. The decision-making process involved in the transfer is influenced by many factors, with intentions of both improving clinical outcomes and maintaining quality of life for the NH resident. Acute changes in health status are contextually specific and decisions must consider not only the resident's acute condition, but also resources available in the NH, and resident and family members' preferences for care. A definition of "avoidable" or "unnecessary" transfer must include reliable measurement, yet remain flexible enough to be generalizable to various care facilities to meet the needs of NH residents and manage required care safely within the NH. Robust research aimed at improving the primary care of NH residents is essential to informing health policy reform and education of those providing care in NHs.