Orthogeriatrics Flashcards
What is the commonest cause of major trauma?
Older patients falling at home
Define a fragility fracture
Fall from standing height or less that results in a broken bone
What may a frail patient with a fragility fracture be subject to in our healthcare system?
- under-triage
- delayed diagnosis
- subobtimal care eg osteoporosis is underdiagnosed and undertreated
What is the 30 day mortality from a hip fracture and why?
7% - due to comorbidities of these patients and the seriousness of a hip fractuce
What are the main points of the blue book - The care of patients with fragility fracture
- No. of hip fractures likely to double by 2050
- Most hip fracture patients have complex comorbidities
- Care is subobtimal
- Osteoporosis is under-diagnosed and undertreated
prompt effective MDT management should improve quality of care - Need for specialist care with an orthogeriatrician fully integrated into the team
- Need early rehabilitation
What did the National Confidential enquiry into patient outcome and death find?
Poor quality care was being given to elderly operative patients in the UK - care was good in only 38% of pts
Pain was poorly assessed pre and post operatively
Recommends routine input from geriatricians
Delays to surgery result in poor outcomes
What targets have been put in place as a result of these reports? (listed in the National Hip Fracture Database)
- Prompt surgery (within 36 hours of hip fracture)
- Prompt orthogeriatric assessment (within 72 hours)
- Pre-operative cognitive testing (using the AMT)
- Post-operative assessemnt for delirium (using the 4AT)
- Prompt mobilisation by a physio on the day of surgery or day after surgery
- Individual rehabilitation goals with the aim of going to their pre-fracture place of residence by 120 days
- Continued orthogeriatric and MDT review
- Fraction prevention assessment - look at falls risk assessment and bone health
- Nutritional assessment
What are the 2 models of orthogeriatric care?
- Fracture liaison service
2. Dedicated hip fracture unit (dedicated orthogeriatric ward)
What is a fracture liaison service?
Patients are admitted under the care of the orthopaedics surgeons, who remain primarily responsible for the patient’s care throughout their admission
Orthogeriatrician input for every patient within 72 hours
What is a dedicated orthogeriatic ward?
The patient is initially admitted to an orthopaedic ward but is transferred post-operatively to an orthogeriatrics ward on day 1-3
Both orthogeriatrics and orthopaedics provide input in the admission
Name a particularly important member of the orthogeriatrics MDT and what they do?
The hip fracture specialist nurse who coordinates care across the MDT
Who are the members of the MDT that might be involved in an orthogeriatric patient’s care?
Nurses junior doctors geriatricians orthopaedic surgeons Radiology theatre staff anaesthetist occupational therapists physiotherapists social services ambulance GP
Is frailty inevitable?
NO - it is preventable
Do you have to have cormorbidities to become frail?
NO - can happen without comorbidities
How can we prevent frailty?
Good nutrition
Physical activity
Reduction of alcohol consumption
Avoid social isolation
Define frailty
consists of mutisystem dysregulation, leading to loss of physiological reserve, resulting in a state of increased vulnerability to stressors
List 3 ways we can assess frailty
- Clinical frailty scale
- Timed up and go test (<12 seconds - rise from a chair, walk three meters, turn around, walk back to the chair, and sit down)
- Grip strength
What does frailty result in?
Increase hospitalisation
Reduced mobility
Loss of independence
Death
Why is it important to recognise frailty?
Avoids inappropriate life saving interventions eg critical care excalation, CPR
Allows choice of place of care and death
More patient centred decisions towards the end of life
What is the comprehensive geriatric assessment?
A multidimensional interdisciplinary diagnostic process focused on determining a frail elderly person’s medical, psychological and functional capability in order to develop a coordinated and integrated plan for treatment and long-term follow-up
(starts on admission and extends throughout admission, holistic MDT care)
What are the domains of the comprehensive geriatric assessment?
Medical conditions and comorbidities Geriatric giants Medications Nutritional status Affective status - mood etc Cognitive status Functional status - ADLs and mobility Social issues - social support, finances and accomodation
What parts of the comprehensive geriatric assessment may be done pre-operatively?
- Assess severity of comorbidities
- Medication review - particularly looking at anti-hypertensives, nephrotoxic drugs, stopping any unecessary or harmful medications
- Prevent delays to theatre eg anticoagulation issues
- Discussion esclation and resuscitation plans with the patient and their loved ones
- Correct any significant anaemia, address anticoagulation issues, volume depletion, electrolyte imabalnces treat infection, manage cormorbidities eg heart failure, arrythmias
What parts of the comprehensive geriatric assessment may be done post-operatively?
- Manage any complications - eg VTE, cardiovascular events, infection, pressure sores, poor nutrition, constipation and wound breakdown
- Recognise post-op delirium
- Assess bone health and start treatment
- Understand the cause of the fall and make a falls assessment
- Facilitate early mobilisation and rehabilitation
- Communication with family and carers to set relaisitc expectations and answer concerns and do advance care planning
What aspects are there to a nutritional assessment?
Preoperative carbohydrate loading (using carbohydrate loaded drinks)
Red trays to highlight those at risk of malnutrition
Complete MUST score - Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool
What scoring system is used to assess cognitive function as part of the CGA?
AMT - Abbreviated Mental Test
What scoring system is used to assess for post-operative delirium?
4AT