Does a brief functional assessment in the emergency department predict outcomes of patients admitted with heart failure? The FASTER-HF study.

Background: Evaluation of patients with acute decompensated heart failure includes symptom review, biomarker measurement and comorbidity assessment. Early objective evaluation of functional status is generally not performed.

Aim: To investigate whether a simple low-impact functional assessment and measurement of sarcopenia would be safe, feasible and predictive of hospital length of stay and all-cause 30-day hospital readmission.

Improving Emergency Department Care for Aging Missourians: Guidelines, Accreditation, and Collaboration.

Aging baby-boomers present significant challenges to accessible, affordable emergency care in America for patients of all ages. St. Louis physicians served as early innovators in the field of geriatric emergency medicine.