Geriatrics Flashcards
Define Frailty
State of increased vulnerability from ageing, associated decline in reserve and function cross multiple physiological systems such that the ability to cope with every day or acute stressors is compromised
Give the main features of frailty
- Poor function reserve
- Vulnerable to decompensation when facing illness, drug side effects, metabolic disturbance
- It is NOT inevitable
- Marker of mortality
Give 2 ways to prevent frailty
- Good nutrition
- Physical activity
- Avoid social isolating
- Decrease alcohol intake
Give 2 ways to assess frailty
- Clinical Frailty Score
- Walking speed = time to get up and walk 6m, good = <12s
- Grip strength
What are the 5 geriatrics Ms and give an example of each?
- Mind –> dementia, delirium, depression
- Mobility –> impaired gait and balance, falls
- Medications –> polypharamcy, deprescribing/optimal prescribing, adverse effects, medication burden
- Multi-complexity –> multi morbidity, bio-psycho-social situations
- Matters most –> individual meaningful health outcomes and preferences
What needs to be taken into consideration in a comprehensive assessment for discharge planning?
- Medical assessment –> diagnosis and treatment, co-morbidities, med review = Dr
- Functional assessment –> ADLs, gait, balance = OT, PT
- Psychological assessment –> cognition, mood
- Social assessment = care resources, finances = social worker
- Environmental assessment = home safety
What are possible legal or ethical issue with geriatric patients?
- Care at the end of life
- Discharge destination
- Dementia and delirium
- Mental capacity act
Define palliative care
Treatment that recognises the irreversible nature of the underlying disease –> holistic approach, symptom control
What is Advanced Care Planning?
A process of discussion about goals of care and means of setting on record preferences for care of patients who may lose capacity or communicating ability in the future
What can Advanced Care Planning include?
- Legal aspects
- Preferred place of care
- Treatment options acceptable to patient and suitable for patient
- DNACPR
- Specific plan for a complex situation
Give 2 advantages of Advanced Care Planning
- Open ended
- Personalised care
- Avoids futile disease orientated treatment
- Patient centred goal
- Improves coordination of care
Give 3 risk factors for falls
- Motor problems –> gait, balance
- Sensory impairment
- Cognitive/mood impairment –> dementia, delirium, depression
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Polypharmacy
- Alcohol, drugs
- Environmental hazards
- Incontinence
- Fear of falling
Give 3 causes of falls
- Drugs –> sedative, alcohol
- MSK –> OA hip
- Syncope –> vasovagal, cariogenic, arrhythmias
- Stroke, TIA
- DM, hypoglycaemia
- Visual impairment
- Dementia
- Poor environment
What is the management of falls?
- Strength and balance training
- Home hazard intervention
- Correct vision
- Review medication
- Integrated management of contributing morbidities
Give 2 possible complications a long lie following a fall
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Pressure ulcers
- Dehydration
What is Rhabdomyolysis?
Skeletal muscle breaks down due to traumatic, chemical or metabolic injury –> results from death of muscle fibres and release of their content (myoglobin, potassium, phosphate, creatine kinase) into the bloodstream
Give 2 causes of Rhabdomyolysis
- Crush injuries
- Prolonged immobilisation following a fall
- prolonged seizure activity
- Hyperthermia
- Neuroleptic malignancy syndrome
What is the clinical presentation of Rhabdomyolysis?
- Muscle aches and pain
- Oedema
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Red-brown urine
What investigations would you do and what would you see in someone with Rhabdomyolysis?
- Creatine Kinase –> very elevated
- Myoglobinurea –> red-brown urine
- U&Es –> AKI, hyperkalaemia
- ECG –> hyperkalaemia
What is the management of Rhabdomyolysis?
Supportive –> fluids, electrolyte correction
Renal Replacement therapy
Give 2 possible complications of Rhabdomyolysis?
- Kidney failure –> due to myoglobin
2. Cardiac arrhythmias –> cardiac arrest due to hyperkaleamia
Give 3 signs of hyperkalaemia on an ECG
- Tall tented T waves
- Prolonged PR
- Loss of P wave
- Broad QRS
- ST elevation
- Sine wave pattern
Define ulcer and pressure ulcer
Ulcer = break in the skin mucous membrane which fails to heal
Pressure ulcer = ulcer caused by pressure or shear force over a bony prominence
Give 2 risk factors for pressure ulcers
- Immobility
- Poor nutrition
- Incontinence
- Multiple comorbidities
- Smoking
- Dehydration
What investigations would you do for someone with a possible pressure ulcer?
- Waterlow score = assesses risk of developing a pressure ulcer
- Admission with ulcer –> CRP, ESR, WCC, swabs, cultures, XR
What is the preventative management of pressure ulcers?
- Barrier creams
- Pressure redistribution
- Repositioning
- Regular skin assessment
What is the treatment of pressure ulcers?
Abx
Wound dressing
Pain relief
Debridement if grade 3 or 4
Define osteoporosis
Progressive deterioation of bone mass and microarchitecture
A systemic skeletal disease characterised by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture
Decreased bone mineral density due to imbalance between remodelling and resorption
Give 3 risk factors of osteoporosis
SHATTERED
- Steroids
- Hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, hypocalcaemia
- Alcohol and smoking
- Thin = BMI <18.5
- Testosterone decreased
- Early menopause = oestrogen deficiency
- Renal/liver failure
- Erosive/IBD
- Dietary intake –> decreased Ca, malabsorption, T1DM
- Previous fracture or FHx of osteoporosis or fracture
Give 3 possible cause of osteoporosis and briefly describe why
- AI conditions (RA, IBD) –> inflammatory cytokine increases bone resorption
- Hyperthyroidism/hyperparathyroisim –> increased bone turnover
- Cushings –> cortical increases bone resorption and induces osteoblast apoptosis
- Post menopausal –> less oestrogen so high bone turnover = resorption > formation
- Low body weight and immobility –> reduced skeletal loading increases resorption
- Medications –> glucocorticoids, Depo-povera, aromatase inhibitor, GnRH analogues, androgen deprivation
How does osteoporosis present?
Usually asymptomatic
Fragile bones and pathological fractures (NOF, spine)
What investigations might you do in someone with suspected osteoporosis?
- Bone mineral density scan = DEXA scan
- Bone profile –> normal Ca, phosphate, alkP, can have low vit D
- FRAX
What does a DEXA scan show?
Looks at bone mineral density Give a T score = standard deviation score which compares with gender matched young adult average: >-1.0 = normal -1 to -2.5 = osteopenia < -2.5 = osteoporosis