Differences in characteristics and outcomes of older patients hospitalized for COVID-19 after introduction of vaccination.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate characteristics and outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated older patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection.

Methods: A retrospective multicentre cohort study among patients aged ≥70 years hospitalized for COVID-19 infection.

Results: 263 vaccinated and 82 unvaccinated patients were included.

Preparing for future pandemics: frailty associates with mortality in hospitalised older people during the entire COVID-19 pandemic, a Dutch multicentre cohort study.

Purpose: Viral mutations and improved prevention or treatment options may have changed the association of frailty with mortality throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated how associations of frailty with in-hospital mortality changed throughout the pandemic in older people hospitalised for COVID-19.

Methods: The COVID-OLD study included COVID-19 patients aged ≥ 70 years hospitalised during the first (early 2020), second (late 2020), third (late 2021) or fourth wave (early 2022).

Delirium in older COVID-19 patients: Evaluating risk factors and outcomes.

Objectives: A high incidence of delirium has been reported in older patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to identify determinants of delirium, including the Clinical Frailty Scale, in hospitalized older patients with COVID-19. Furthermore, we aimed to study the association of delirium independent of frailty with in-hospital outcomes in older COVID-19 patients.

Characteristics and outcomes of older patients hospitalised for COVID-19 in the first and second wave of the pandemic in The Netherlands: the COVID-OLD study.

Background: as the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic progressed diagnostics and treatment changed.

Objective: to investigate differences in characteristics, disease presentation and outcomes of older hospitalised COVID-19 patients between the first and second pandemic wave in The Netherlands.

Methods: this was a multicentre retrospective cohort study in 16 hospitals in The Netherlands including patients aged ≥ 70 years, hospitalised for COVID-19 in Spring 2020 (first wave) and Autumn 2020 (second wave).

Identifying relevant outcomes in the progression of Alzheimer's disease; what do patients and care partners want to know about prognosis?

Background: Prognostic studies in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD) mainly predicted time to dementia. However, it is questionable whether onset of dementia is the most relevant outcome along the AD disease trajectory from the perspective of patients and their care partners. Therefore, we aimed to identify the most relevant outcomes from the viewpoint of patients and care partners.

Frailty is associated with in-hospital mortality in older hospitalised COVID-19 patients in the Netherlands: the COVID-OLD study.

Background: During the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, older patients had an increased risk of hospitalisation and death. Reports on the association of frailty with poor outcome have been conflicting.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the independent association between frailty and in-hospital mortality in older hospitalised COVID-19 patients in the Netherlands.

Fall-Risk-Increasing Drugs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: II. Psychotropics.

Background And Objective: Falls are a major public health problem in older adults. Earlier studies showed that psychotropic medication use increases the risk of falls. The aim of this study is to update the current knowledge by providing a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis on psychotropic medication use and falls in older adults.

Fall-Risk-Increasing Drugs: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: III. Others.

Background And Objective: The use of psychotropic medication and cardiovascular medication has been associated with an increased risk of falling. However, other frequently prescribed medication classes are still under debate as potential risk factors for falls in the older population. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the associations between fall risk and nonpsychotropic and noncardiovascular medications.

Fall-Risk-Increasing Drugs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: I. Cardiovascular Drugs.

Background And Objective: Use of certain medications is recognized as a major and modifiable risk factor for falls. Although the literature on psychotropic drugs is compelling, the literature on cardiovascular drugs as potential fall-risk-increasing drugs is conflicting. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide a comprehensive overview of the associations between cardiovascular medications and fall risk in older adults.

[SDM supports better application of EBM in geriatric patients].

Evidence based medicine (EBM) is the integration of the best research evidence, clinical expertise and patient values in the decision making process for patient care. However, elderly people are often excluded from participating in scientific studies and they often have multiple morbidities, which complicates the application of EBM. Shared decision making (SDM), a process where clinicians and patients share the best available evidence when faced with the task of making decisions, and where patients are supported to consider options, to achieve appropriate treatment can help to shape EBM for this group of patients.

Estimating the Time to Benefit for Preventive Drugs with the Statistical Process Control Method: An Example with Alendronate.

Background: For physicians dealing with patients with a limited life expectancy, knowing the time to benefit (TTB) of preventive medication is essential to support treatment decisions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of statistical process control (SPC) for determining the TTB in relation to fracture risk with alendronate versus placebo in postmenopausal women.

Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis of the Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT), a randomized, controlled trial that investigated the effect of alendronate versus placebo on fracture risk in postmenopausal women.

Comorbidity and favorable neurologic outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in patients of 70 years and older.

Introduction: Advanced age is reported to be associated with lower survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We aimed to establish survival rate and neurological outcome at hospital discharge after OHCA in older patients and evaluated whether pre-OHCA comorbidity was associated with favorable neurologic outcome.

Methods: From a prospective registry of all cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempts after OHCA, we established survival in 1332 patients aged ≥ 70 years in whom resuscitation with non-traumatic etiology was attempted in 2009-2011.

Reviews of individual patient data (IPD) are useful for geriatrics: an overview of available IPD reviews.

Objectives: To determine how many individual patient data (IPD) reviews that included older people were available in MEDLINE and whether the effectiveness of treatments differed between older and younger individuals.

Design: Overview of IPD reviews.

Setting: A MEDLINE search was conducted for IPD reviews of randomized controlled trials published before July 2012.

The chance of survival and the functional outcome after in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation in older people: a systematic review.

Background: physicians are frequently confronted with the question whether cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a medically appropriate treatment for older people. For physicians, patients and relatives, it is important to know the chance of survival and the functional outcome after CPR in order to make an informed decision.

Methods: a systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane up to November 2012.

Underrepresentation of patients with pre-existing cognitive impairment in pharmaceutical trials on prophylactic or therapeutic treatments for delirium: a systematic review.

Objective: Representation of hospitalized patients with pre-existing cognitive impairment in pharmaceutical delirium trials is important because these patients are at high risk for developing delirium. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate whether patients with cognitive impairment were included in studies on pharmacological prophylaxis or treatment of delirium and to explore the motivations for their exclusion (if they were excluded).

Study Design: This study was a systematic review.

Acetaminophen for self-reported sleep problems in an elderly population (ASLEEP): study protocol of a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trial.

Background: The prevalence of sleep disorders increases with age. Sleep disorders may have serious health implications and may be related to serious underlying diseases. Many older people use hypnotics, like benzodiazepines, although these medications have serious side effects and often lead to habituation.

Pharmacological treatment of dementia: a scoping review of systematic reviews.

Background: Until now, multiple reviews on the pharmacological treatment of dementia have been published.

Methods: We performed a scoping review to summarize research findings and to identify gaps in the existing literature. We searched the literature and assessed the risk of bias of the included reviews.

Pre-arrest predictors of survival after resuscitation from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the elderly a systematic review.

Background: To enable older people to make decisions about the appropriateness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), information is needed about the predictive value of pre-arrest factors such as comorbidity, functional and cognitive status on survival and quality of life of survivors. We systematically reviewed the literature to identify pre-arrest predictors for survival, quality of life and functional outcomes after out-of-hospital (OHC) CPR in the elderly.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE (through May 2011) and included studies that described adults aged 70 years and over needing CPR after OHC cardiac arrest.

Search filters to identify geriatric medicine in Medline.

Objectives: To create user-friendly search filters with high sensitivity, specificity, and precision to identify articles on geriatric medicine in Medline.

Design: A diagnostic test assessment framework was used. A reference set of 2255 articles was created by hand-searching 22 biomedical journals in Medline, and each article was labeled as 'relevant', 'not relevant', or 'possibly relevant' for geriatric medicine.