2. Background
In 2000, there were 600 million people aged 60 and over; there
will be 1.2 billion by 20251
The rate of ED visits increased and was greater for elder
patients.
ED visits made by elder patients, the numbers of admissions
and ambulance transports have grown at a rate faster than that
for ED patients as a whole.2
1. www.who.int/ageing/en/
2. Acad Emerg Med. 1998;5:1157-1162.
21. Predictors of further falls
Risk factors Odds ratio (95% CI) p Value
≥1 fall(s) in the previous year 1.5 (1.1 - 1.9) 0.001
The fall occurring indoors 2.4 (1.1 - 5.2) 0.021
Inability to get off the floor 5.5 (2.3 - 13.0) <0.0005
Polypharmacy (≥4 regularly 4.3 (1.9 - 9.6) <0.0005
prescribed drugs)
22. Medications and falls
Medications commonly associated with increased risk for falls
include
diuretics
hypnotics
sedatives
narcotics
antidepressants
psychotropics
some antihypertensive medications.
Medications can contribute to falls by causing drowsiness, poor
balance, and postural hypotension.
J Emerg Nurs. 2000 Oct;26(5):448-5
23. Medications and falls
In older adults, the risk of falls is greatest for persons taking
medications with a half-life of more than 24 hours
J Emerg Nurs. 2000 Oct;26(5):448-5
24. Key points
Evidence from a randomised controlled trial has
shown benefit in assessing older people presenting
to A&E with a fall—prevention of falls in the elderly
trial (PROFET).
Using derived predictors of risk, it is possible to
streamline referrals from the A&E department to a
specialist falls service that is consistent with an
attainable level of service commitment.
31. Functional decline
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale
เป็นเครื่องมืออีกชิ้นที่มีความซับซ้อนมากขึนในการประเมินดังกล่าว
้
หากมีความเปลี่ยนแปลงในสิ่งเหล่านี้อย่างรวดเร็ว ก็เป็นสิ่งบ่งบอกว่าเกิด
acute medical condition ขึ้น
แพทย์ฉุกเฉินต้องทาการสืบค้นเพิ่มเติมเพื่อหาสาเหตุ เช่นจากกล้ามเนื้อ
หัวใจขาดเลือด(myocardial infarction) ติดเชื้อในกระแสเลือด
(sepsis) เลือดออกใต้เยื่อหุ้มสมอง (subdural hematoma) เป็นต้น
Sanders AB, In: Tintinalli JE, Kelen GD, Stapczynski JS, editors. New York: McGraw-
Hill,2004:1896-900.
32. Algorithm for the evaluation and management of functional
decline in elderly patients
Lachs MS, in Sanders AB (ed): Emergency Care of the Elder Person. St. Louis,Beverly Cracom publications, 1996
33.
34. - Laboratory tests :
(CBC, glucose, Na, K, BUN, creatinin), UA and CXR.
- After initial medical evaluation in the ED a diagnosis
considered as acute because it required treatment without
delay, was established in 129 of the 253 patients (51%)
35.
36. Pitfalls
Reasons for undertriage were
1. absence of vital signs measurement (n = 16)
2. poor recognition of neurological symptoms (n = 9)
3. atypical clinical presentation (n = 8)
37.
38. Acute chest pain in the elderly patients
Must first consider potential life-threatening causes.
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
Aortic dissection
Pulmonary embolism
Pneumothorax
Esophageal rupture
Pericarditis with cardiac tamponade
39.
40. Acute coronary syndrome
0.4% - 10% of patients who have AMI are incorrectly
discharged from the emergency department
Clinician fail to consider the possibility of ACS
and, therefore, fail to initiate the appropriate diagnostic workup.1
Specific subgroups that are at greater risk for misdiagnosis.2
Very young
Very old
Women
Diabetics
1. Emerg Med Clin North Am 2005;23:937–57.
2. ED Legal Letter 2003;14(10):109–20.
41. Acute coronary syndrome
Women
Older than men who have ACS.
There are more comorbid diseases, such as DM
or HT, and a family history of premature coronary
heart disease.
More likely to present with neck and shoulder
pain, nausea, fatigue, and dyspnea.
Douglas PS, Ginsburg GS. N Engl J Med 1996;334(20):1311–5.
42. Acute coronary syndrome
Diabetic patients
Silent ACS
Late presentations are common
More likely : exertional dyspnea, severe
fatigue, or lightheadedness
Cooper S, Caldwell JH. Clin Diabetes 1999;17:58–72.
43. Acute coronary syndrome
Elderly patients
Chest pain accompanies AMI much less frequently.
In patients aged 85 years or older, dyspnea, not
chest pain, is the single most common presenting
symptom of angina1.
More frequently : fatigue, lightheadedness, worsening
congestive heart failure, altered mental status, and
syncope2
1. Konotos MC. Cardiol Rev 2001;9(5):266–75.
2. Haro LH, et al. Cardiol Clin 2006;24(1):1–17.
44. Acute coronary syndrome
Diagnostic evaluation
ECG, CXR.
Serum cardiac biomarkers : CK-MB, Troponin T or I
Tend to rise 3 to 4 hours after the onset of an AMI.
Serial sampling over a 12- to 24-hour period will detect
the majority of AMIs.
Further evaluation with provocative stress testing must
be performed when UA is a possibility.
45.
46. Aortic dissection (AD)
Unrecognized AD carries a 1% to 2% mortality per
hour for the first 48 hours.
The mortality reaches 90% at 1 year.
Physicians correctly suspect in 15-43% of patients at
the time of presentation.
When AD is misdiagnosed as ACS, the consequences
of giving thrombolytics can be disastrous.
52. Aortic dissection (AD)
Diagnostic evaluation
CXR
CT : MDCT-sensitivity 99%
MRI
Echocardiography : transthoracic or transesophageal
Aortography
Lab : D-dimer – sensitivity 100% but poor specificity
Lab : smooth muscle myosin heavy chains, and soluble elastin
fragments – highly sensitive and specific for AD (not available)
53. Aortic dissection (AD)
Patients must be asked to describe
the quality of the pain
intensity at the onset
the pain radiates
A retrospective review of confirmed thoracic AD patients
only 42% of conscious patients were asked these
three simple questions.
Rosman HS, et al. Chest 1998;114:793–5.
54. Helical CT of the pulmonary arteries with intraluminal filling defects in the lobar artery
of the left lower lobe (solid arrow) and the main artery of the right lung (open arrow) in
a patient with a chest deformity.
57. Pulmonary embolism
Signs, Symptoms and Combinations According
to Age
Most symptoms and all signs occurred with similar
frequencies in patients ≥ 70 years old and younger
patients.
In patients with pulmonary embolism, dyspnea or
tachypnea occurred less frequently in elderly
patients than in younger patients.
Am J Med. 2007; 120(10): 871–879
58. Symptoms in Patients with PE and No Pre-Existing Cardiac
or Pulmonary Disease According to Age
Am J Med. 2007; 120(10): 871–879
61. Rate of Onset of Dyspnea
Am J Med. 2007; 120(10): 871–879
62. Clinical probability of pulmonary embolism
clinical probability category Total points
High >8
Intermediate 5-8
Low 0-4
Wells PS, et al. Thromb Haemost 2000;83:416-20. Wicki J, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2001;161:92-97
63. The prevalence of pulmonary embolism*
Low Moderate High
Pretest Pretest Pretest
Score Probability Probability Probability
Wells 1-3% 16-28% 38-78%
Geneva 7% 34-35% 77-85%
- The study that compared both prediction rules reported similar results.
- The area under the ROC curve for the Wells pulmonary embolism
prediction rule ranged 0.52- 0.88 and the area for the Geneva
pulmonary embolism prediction rule ranged 0.69-0.84.**
*
**
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70. Acute Abdominal Pain in the elderly patients
Acute abdominal pain in the elderly was the
problem required most time-consumed
diagnosis.1
Previous studies have demonstrated a
diagnostic accuracy of only 40% to 65% in
geriatric patients with abdominal pain.2-4
1. J Am Geriatr Soc.1987; 35: 398–404.
2. Arch Surg. 1978; 113:1149-52.
3. Br Med J. 1972; 3:393-8.
4. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 1996; 14:615-27.
71.
72. Demographic Characteristics of the Study Population
Demographic N = 378
Gender (male : female) 175 : 203
Age (median (range)) 71(60-94)
Underlying diseases N(%) 269 (71.2)
- Hypertension 104 (27.5)
- Diabetes mellitus 59 (15.6)
- Cardiovascular disease 58 (15.3)
- Malignancy 52 (13.8)
- Pulmonary disease 38 (10.1)
- Miscellaneous 170 (45.0)
73. Miscellaneous group* 16.0
9.2
Myalgia 0.8
1.1
Urinary retention 1.1
1.1
Abdominal aortic aneurysm 0.8
1.1
Peritonitis 0.3
1.6
Acute appendicitis 2.4
2.4
Intestinal obstruction 4.5
4.0
5.3
Constipation 5.6
8.2
Overall
Cholecystitis, cholelithiasis and biliary tract disease
Urinary tract infection
7.1
7.9 N = 378
7.9
Calculus of urinary system 6.9
9.0
(100%)
Acute gastritis, gastroenteritis or diarrhea 10.6
10.8
35.2
Non specific 39.2
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0
Overall : Final diagnoses(%) Overall : Initial diagnoses(%)
74. Non specific abdominal pain
- What should we aware?
1. Cholecystitis, cholelithiasis or biliary tract disease = 4
2. Intestinal obstruction = 3
Overall 3. Acute pancreatitis = 1
378
Non Operative
specific Revisited Procedures
148 & 8
Admitted
23 Non specific
9
Medical conditions
6
77. Overall (N= 378)
This study Lewis LM, et al*
Concordant diagnoses = 83% Concordant diagnoses = 82%
Top 5 of Final diagnoses Top 5 of Final diagnoses
1. Non specific 1. Non specific
2. Acute gastritis, gastroenteritis, 2. Urinary tract infection
and diarrhea. 3. Intestinal obstruction
3. Calculus of urinary system 4. Acute gastroenteritis
4. Urinary tract infection 5. Gall bladder disease
5. Cholecystitis, cholelithiasis and biliary
tract disease
*Lewis LM, et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2005; 60: 1071-76.
78. Hospitalized patients (N=100)
This study Kizer1 Irvin2
Concordantstudy Kizer1
This diagnoses Concordant diagnoses Irvin2
66% 79%
Biliary tract disease Non specific Intestinal obstruction
30% 26% 28%
Intestinal obstruction Intestinal obstruction Non specific
17% 11% 22.5%
Non specific Gastrointesitinal ulcer Cholelithiasis
10% 11% 8.9%
1. Kizer KW. Am J Emerg Med 1998; 16: 357-362.
2. Irvin TT. Br J Surg 1989; 76: 1121-1125.
79. Concordant Discordant p-value
diagnoses diagnoses
Hospitalization 5.5 8.0 0.016
time (day) * (1.0-42.0) (2.0-136.0)
Hospital costs 345.9 647.8 0.022
(USD) * (51.4-6667.4) (60.4-11681.1)
*reported in median (range)
calculated in hospitalized patients
80. Summary
The patient's presentation is frequently complex.
Common diseases may present atypically in this age group.
A knowledge of baseline functional status is essential for evaluating
new complaints.
The confounding effects of comorbid diseases must be considered.
Polypharmacy is common and may be a factor in
presentation, diagnosis, and management.
The emergency department encounter is an opportunity to assess
important conditions in a patient's personal life.(ie. caregiver needed)
Lachs MS, in Sanders AB (ed): Emergency Care of the Elder Person. St. Louis,Beverly Cracom publications, 1996