Background: Falls are a significant issue among older adults, leading to morbidity and mortality. Screening for fall risk in the ED is crucial but challenging due to time limitations and patient conditions. Sarcopenia, characterized by muscle loss, is associated with increased fall risk, and ultrasound has been proposed as a non-invasive tool to measure muscle mass in this context.

Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled 174 older adults from an urban teaching hospital's EDOU, assessing muscle mass via POCUS, grip strength, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and fall risk using the STEADI toolkit. The patients were followed up over six months to assess if they had fallen or not.

Results: Follow-up identified 37 participants (21 %) as patients who fell. There was no significant association between POCUS-measured muscle mass, grip strength, or TUG test performance with future falls. In contrast, STEADI questionnaire responses demonstrated significant differences between patients who fell and did not fall, suggesting its potential utility in predicting fall risk in this population.

Conclusion: The simpler tool, the STEADI questionnaire, may offer more practicality in screening fall risk compared to complex ultrasound measurements or physical performance tests among the older in ED.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2024.10.008DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

fall risk
20
older adults
12
muscle mass
12
prospective cohort
8
cohort study
8
screening fall
8
grip strength
8
tug test
8
patients fell
8
steadi questionnaire
8

Similar Publications

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop and validate a prediction model for fall risk factors in hospitalized older adults with osteoporosis.

Methods: A total of 615 older adults with osteoporosis hospitalized at a tertiary (grade 3A) hospital in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China, between September 2022 and August 2023 were selected for the study using convenience sampling. Fall risk factors were identified using univariate and logistic regression analyses, and a predictive risk model was constructed and visualized through a nomogram.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Allergic diseases have escalated to epidemic levels worldwide, impacting nearly 30% of the global population. Fungi are a significant source of allergens responsible for up to 6% of respiratory diseases in the general population. However, the specific cause of respiratory allergies often remains unidentified.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Patients with cardiovascular disease are considered a high-risk population for heat-related illnesses. This study aimed to describe the difference in physical activity between summer and fall among patients with cardiovascular disease and their recognition of heatstroke prevention in an urban area with high temperature conditions.

Results: We enrolled 56 outpatients who participated in cardiac rehabilitation in the summer of 2022 (median age, 75 years [interquartile range, 68-80]).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Falls are a significant issue among older adults, leading to morbidity and mortality. Screening for fall risk in the ED is crucial but challenging due to time limitations and patient conditions. Sarcopenia, characterized by muscle loss, is associated with increased fall risk, and ultrasound has been proposed as a non-invasive tool to measure muscle mass in this context.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Falls on stairs are a major cause of severe injuries among older adults, with stair descent posing significantly greater risks than ascent. Variations in stair descent phenotypes may reflect differences in physical function and biomechanical stability, and their identification may prevent falls.

Aims: This study aims to classify stair descent phenotypes in older adults and investigate the biomechanical and physical functional differences between these phenotypes using hierarchical cluster analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!