Olga Paz Torres

Assessing nutritional status in the elderly: evaluation of Chumlea´s equations for weight

BACKGROUND Weight is one of the most important parameters in assessing nutritional status. However, weight can be difficult to measure in elderly people who are unable to stand. Chumlea et al. created two equations to estimate weight in non-ambulatory patients using readily available body measurements. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study is to analyze the usefulness of Chumlea equations in assessing nutritional status of elderly hospitalized patients. METHODS We measured weight, height, arm and calf circumference, subscapular skinfold and knee height of 82 hospitalized elderly patients, all of whom were able to stand. Estimated weight (EW) was obtained by Chumlea equations. Body mass index (BMI) and Mini Nutritional Assessment test (MNA) were calculated using actual weight and EW. Bland-Altmann analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between real and estimated parameters were assessed. RESULTS We found a statistically significant ICC between actual weight and EW (r = 0.926), real BMI and estimated BMI (r = 0.910) and real MNA and estimated MNA (r = 0.982) (p < 0.001). Chumlea equations, however, underestimated weight: 54.05 (DS 11.88) vs 61.46 (DS 13.08); BMI: 22.30 (DS 4.61) vs 25.36 (DS 5.17) and MNA: 22.73 (DS 4.43) vs 23.30 (DS 4.33) (P<0.001). In spite of this underestimation, estimated MNA detected 100% of patients malnourished and 96% of those at risk of malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS Results obtained by Chumlea equations showed a good ICC with actual body weight and real BMI and MNA, but values were underestimated. These equations can be useful to detect undernourished hospitalized elderly patients.

Ability of physiological parameters versus clinical categories to predict mortality on admission to an internal medicine ward

BACKGROUND The prediction of mortality in internal medicine departments may help in taking diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. We analyzed the usefulness of two mortality prediction models, one physiological and the other mainly clinical, and determined whether one approach is better than the other to predict mortality at admission. METHODS This is a prospective observational cohort study in patients admitted to an acute internal medicine ward in a tertiary care, urban, university teaching hospital in Spain. Five hundred consecutive patients either electively admitted or coming from the emergency department from May to December 2008 were analyzed. Medical history, physical examination and routine clinical laboratory tests were performed on admission. At discharge, diagnosis and dead or survived status was recorded. Logistic regression analyses were used to test variables that emerged as independent predictors of mortality. The area under the curve was used to determine which model best predicted mortality. RESULTS Mortality in the ward was 13.0%. Age, chronic respiratory failure, creatinine, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate and Glasgow coma scale independently predicted mortality. ROC curves showed that the physiological model was superior to the clinical model, but differences were not statistically significant. The predictive capacity improved when the two models were combined but the improvement was not significant. CONCLUSIONS Both models are satisfactory predictors of in-hospital mortality for management purposes but neither proved to be a useful tool for individual predictions. Complementary approaches need to be considered.

Hip Fractures in People Older Than 95 Years: Are Patients Without Age-Associated Illnesses Different?

Background Patients older than 95 years of age can be categorized according to three morbidity profiles: escapers, delayers, and survivors. The aim of this study was to describe the baseline characteristics, in-hospital outcomes, and cumulative mortality of extremely elderly patients admitted with hip fractures and to examine whether there were differences between patients without age-related illnesses (escapers) and others in the same age group (survivors when age-associated illnesses were diagnosed before the age of 80, delayers when these illnesses appeared after the age of 80). Methods A retrospective review of clinical and outcome data of all patients older than 95 years of age admitted with hip fractures. Results Two hundred patients older than 95 years were admitted with hip fractures between December 2009 and September 2015. Eighty-six per cent of patients had at least one in-hospital complication. In-hospital mortality was 12.5 per cent; cumulative mortality rates at 30 days, 3 months, and 1 year were 20.3, 30.8, and 50.5 per cent, respectively. There were 15 (7.5%) escaper patients. Compared with other patients with age-related illnesses, they took fewer drugs, had lower Charlson scores, a higher Barthel index score, shorter length of hospital stay, less delay in surgery, and more often required discharge to an in-patient rehabilitation facility. No differences in cumulative mortality were noted. Conclusions Escaper patients had better baseline characteristics, shorter length of hospital stay, and delay in surgery. Nevertheless, their in-hospital and cumulative mortality rates were similar to those of other patients older than 95 years.