Comorbidity in Stroke-Survivors: Prevalence and Associations with Functional Outcomes and Health

A Case Management Approach in Stroke Care: A Mixed-Methods Acceptance Analysis From the Perspective of the Medical Profession

PURPOSE OF STUDY

In terms of continuous and coordinated health care, cross-sectoral care structures are crucial. However, the German health care system is characterized by fragmentation of medical services and responsibilities. This fragmentation leads to multiple interfaces frequently causing loss of information, effectiveness, and quality. The concept of case management has the potential to improve cooperation between sectors and health care providers. Hence, a case management intervention for patients with stroke was evaluated with an acceptance analysis on the physicians' willingness to cooperate with stroke managers and their assessment of the potential of case management for the health care of patients with stroke.

PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTINGS

Primary practice settings included physicians working in the hospital, rehabilitation, and outpatient sectors who had actual or potential contact with a stroke case manager within the project region of East Westphalia-Lippe.

METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE

The analysis was conducted using a mixed-methods approach. Expert interviews were conducted in 2020. Afterward a questionnaire was developed, which was then distributed to physicians in 2021. Both the interviews and the questionnaire included questions on conceptual knowledge and concrete expectations prior of the project, on experiences during the project and on recommendations and physicians' assessment of future organization in health care to classify and describe the acceptance.

RESULTS

Nine interviews were conducted and 23 questionnaires were completed. Only slightly more than 50% of the physicians had prior knowledge of the case management approach. Overall, ambiguous results concerning the acceptance of case managers were revealed. Additional personal assistance for patients with stroke was seen as beneficial at the same time critical perspectives regarding further fragmentation of health care and overlapping of competences with existing professional groups or forms of health care were collected. General practitioners in particular were critical of the case management approach.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

From the physicians' point of view, at least two changes are necessary for the project approach to be integrated into standard care. First, the target group should be adapted according to the case management approach. Second, the delegation of tasks and responsibilities to case managers should be revised. The sectoral difference in the acceptance of case managers by physicians indicates that active cooperation and communication in everyday work has direct impact on the acceptance of a new occupational profession. Physician acceptance has a significant impact on the implementation of new treatment modalities and thus influences the overall quality of health care.

Investigating cognitive impairment, biopsychosocial barriers, and predictors of return to daily life among older stroke survivors

Purpose

The aim was to investigate the associations between cognitive impairment and biopsychosocial factors among older stroke survivors and predictors of poststroke return to daily life.

Materials and methods

This cross-sectional study involved 117 stroke survivors (61% men) with an average age of 77 years (range 65-91). The participants completed two questionnaires (Riksstroke and Short Form 36 questionnaires). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess cognitive abilities. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework guided the selection of biopsychosocial variables. We used Spearman's correlation coefficient and multiple logistic regression in the analyses.

Results

The average MoCA score was 21.7 points (range: 4-30, SD 5.6). The need for assistance from relatives and professionals, need for help with dressing and household chores, reliance on others for mobility, and reading and balance problems were correlated with more severe cognitive impairment (r = 0.20-0.33). Cognitive impairment, fatigue, and balance issues predicted an unfavorable return to daily life (odds ratio: 6.2-6.8).

Conclusion

The study indicated that cognitive impairment is associated with difficulties in all ICF domains. Cognitive impairment, fatigue, and balance issues are associated with an unsuccessful return to daily life. Prioritizing these factors and screening for cognitive impairment with objective assessment tools may improve rehabilitation outcomes and enhance overall quality of life poststroke.

Adverse Events During Submaximal Aerobic Exercise Testing in People With Subacute Stroke: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concern for adverse cardiovascular events and limited guidance regarding how to conduct aerobic exercise (AEx) testing for individuals poststroke are key barriers to implementation by physical therapists in stroke rehabilitation. This study aimed to describe the nature and safety of submaximal AEx testing protocols for people with subacute stroke (PwSS) and the nature of comorbidity of PwSS who underwent submaximal AEx testing.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review and searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus from inception to October 29, 2020. Studies involving submaximal AEx testing with PwSS, reporting on participant comorbidity and on adverse events during testing, were eligible. Two reviewers independently conducted title and abstract and full-text screening. One reviewer extracted data; a second reviewer verified data.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies involving 452 participants and 19 submaximal AEx testing protocols (10 field test, 7 incremental, and 2 constant load) were included. Hypertension (41%), diabetes (31%), and dyslipidemia (27%) were the most common comorbidities reported. No protocols resulted in a serious adverse event. The most common test termination criterion was a heart rate (HR) limit (9 protocols); a limit of 85% age-predicted maximal HR (APM-HR) most frequently reported. Average APM-HR achieved, computed using mean age and mean peak HR, ranged from 59% to 88% across 13 protocols.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Diverse submaximal AEx testing protocols with conservative test termination criteria can be safely implemented with PwSS. Results can inform clinical practice guidelines and address physical therapists' concerns with the occurrence of serious adverse events during submaximal AEx testing.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see the Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1 available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A430 ).

The effects of medical comorbidity, cognition, and age on patient-reported outcomes in Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare the independent contributions of medical comorbidity, cognition, and age on patient-reported outcomes in Parkinson's disease (PD).

METHODS

572 PD patients completed the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS®)-29 v2.0 Profile (physical function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, satisfaction with participation in social roles, pain interference) and PROMIS Global Health (mental health and physical health) scales. Comorbidity was measured with the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatric (CIRS-G) and cognition with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Multiple regression models examined the 9 PROMIS measures as predicted by comorbidity, cognition, and age, adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics (UPDRS and disease duration).

RESULTS

Comorbidity was associated with poorer outcomes in all nine PROMIS domains. Cognition was associated with two of nine domains: physical function and anxiety. Age was associated with five domains: anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, satisfaction with participation in social roles, and global mental health. Comorbidity showed greater effects on all nine domains than cognition or age (higher standardized beta coefficients).

CONCLUSION

Medical comorbidity, cognition, and age have different impacts on patient-reported outcomes in PD. Medical comorbidity has a greater impact than either cognition or age on a range of patient-reported physical and mental health domains. Medical comorbidity is an important contributor to the patient's perspective of their physical and mental health.

Comorbidity and outcomes among hospitalized patients with stroke: a nationwide inpatient analysis

Objective

We aimed to characterize healthcare utilization and comorbidity outcomes among hospitalized elderly stroke patients using a nationally representative dataset in the United States.

Methods

Using the 2019 National Inpatient Sample, patients aged 65 years or older with and without comorbidities who were hospitalized for acute stroke were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Patient comorbidities were identified with the use of the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index. The prevalence of comorbidities, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and total hospital costs were analyzed for these patients.

Results

Within 451,945 patients (mean age 78 years, 54.1% women, 73.7% white), we observed that more than 90% of patients had a minimum of two comorbidities. The median number of comorbidities was 4.0 (IQR 3.0-6.0). There was significant variation in the prevalence rate of comorbidities. The five most common comorbidities were uncomplicated hypertension (55.4%), paralysis (40.1%), congestive heart failure (39.8%), various neurological illnesses (38.3%), and complex hypertension (32.5%). After adjusting for patient- and hospital-level characteristics, a statistically significant association was observed between comorbidities and various adverse outcomes. Specifically, comorbidities were found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of inpatient mortality (odds ratio: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.08-1.11; P < 0.001), a longer duration of hospitalization (0.68 days; 95% CI: 0.66-0.71; P < 0.001), and higher total cost ($1,874.9; 95% CI: 1,774.6-1,975.2; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This national data suggests that comorbidity is common among hospitalized older stroke patients and substantially increases the healthcare burden and inpatient mortality in the United States. These findings underscore the integration of comorbidity management into the care of older stroke patients.

Predicting new-onset post-stroke depression from real-world data using machine learning algorithm

Introduction

Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a serious mental disorder after ischemic stroke. Early detection is important for clinical practice. This research aims to develop machine learning models to predict new-onset PSD using real-world data.

Methods

We collected data for ischemic stroke patients from multiple medical institutions in Taiwan between 2001 and 2019. We developed models from 61,460 patients and used 15,366 independent patients to test the models' performance by evaluating their specificities and sensitivities. The predicted targets were whether PSD occurred at 30, 90, 180, and 365 days post-stroke. We ranked the important clinical features in these models.

Results

In the study's database sample, 1.3% of patients were diagnosed with PSD. The average specificity and sensitivity of these four models were 0.83-0.91 and 0.30-0.48, respectively. Ten features were listed as important features related to PSD at different time points, namely old age, high height, low weight post-stroke, higher diastolic blood pressure after stroke, no pre-stroke hypertension but post-stroke hypertension (new-onset hypertension), post-stroke sleep-wake disorders, post-stroke anxiety disorders, post-stroke hemiplegia, and lower blood urea nitrogen during stroke.

Discussion

Machine learning models can provide as potential predictive tools for PSD and important factors are identified to alert clinicians for early detection of depression in high-risk stroke patients.

Factors Associated with Unplanned Transfer of Patients with Brain Tumor from Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit to Primary Acute Care Units

Inpatient rehabilitation should be assessed to improve each functional domain in patients with brain tumor. However, no previous study has reported risk factors for unplanned transfer of this patient population to primary acute care units during a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation. The objective of this study was to investigate the percentage of unplanned transfer of brain tumor rehabilitation inpatients to primary acute care units compared with stroke patients and factors associated with such unplanned transfer. Data of 137 patients with brain tumor who were transferred to the department of physical and rehabilitation medicine were retrospectively reviewed. For comparison, data of 438 patients with subacute stroke were also obtained. Included patients were divided into an unplanned transfer group and a control group based on whether they required a transfer to another department for acute care before completing their comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation. Reasons for unplanned transfers were classified based on medical or surgical conditions. The incidence of unplanned transfers to the medical or surgical department was significantly higher in patients with brain tumor (15.3%) than in stroke patients (7.1%) (p < 0.05). Most of unplanned transfers occurred within two weeks of the comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation for patients with brain tumor. There was a significantly higher incidence of unplanned transfers in patients with a primary tumor than in those with a metastatic tumor (15.9% vs. 4.8%, p < 0.05). In addition, the frequency of chemotherapy or radiotherapy was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the unplanned transfer group than in the control group. The most common cause of an unplanned transfer was a neurologic cause (90.0%) in patients with brain tumor and an infectious disease such as pneumonia (51.6%) in stroke patients. In conclusion, these results demonstrated a higher incidence of unplanned transfers in patients with brain tumor than in stroke patients during intensive inpatient rehabilitation. Proportions of those with neurological problems were relatively higher in patients with brain tumor than in patients with subacute stroke.

Novel Role of Biomedical Sensors and CT/MRI Scanning Image Segmentation Algorithms in Orthopedic Diseases

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of medical image segmentation algorithms in conjunction with biomedical sensors for the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic diseases. The two-dimensional image data of orthopedic patients were obtained by using CT/MRI scanning along with the biomedical sensors. Patients are divided into: control group (n = 140 cases) and experimental group (106 cases). The control group has received the traditional orthopedic surgery analysis method, while the experimental group has adopted the medical image segmentation, biomedical sensors and MRI scanning for the treatment/surgery of orthopedic patients. There is a apparently different level of performance between two groups (P <0.05). The analgesic and sedative effect of the experimental group is observed at 2 h, 6 h, and after 12 h respectively and it is found that the experimental group exhibits better results with statistical significance (P < 0.05). The experimental group has better rates of fracture, fracture nonunion, osteoporosis, and femoral head necrosis, and a substantial difference in various disease classifications is observed between two groups (P <0.05). There is a considerable gap between two groups in the rate of subsequent operations. The experimental group has much higher rate of subsequent operations than the control group (P <0.05). The proposed innovative non-invasive medical treatment methods can not only enhance the accuracy of orthopedic surgeries.

Contribution of participation and resilience to quality of life among persons living with stroke in Sweden: a qualitative study

PURPOSE

Resilience contributes to positive adaptation after many health conditions, but little is known about its contribution to long-term recovery after stroke. This study investigated the lived experience of resilience and participation and their relationship to quality of life after stroke in Sweden.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 19 informants (10 male, 9 female), aged from 44-89 years and between 1 and 19 years post-stroke. Stroke severity ranged from mild (n = 8), moderate (n = 9) to severe (n = 2). Interviews were analysed using content analysis.

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in an overarching theme; Life with stroke has been adapted to but not accepted, built on five subthemes: 1) Adapting and adjusting life, 2) Meaningful values in life, 3) Inner resources, 4) Support and treatment from social relations, and 5) Support and treatment from external resources.

CONCLUSION

Participants described a tension between adapting and accepting life after stroke. Resilience was a useful framework, highlighting the contribution of inner, social and societal resources to recovery and quality of life, both directly and as enhanced through increased participation. Important factors for adaptation are meaningful values in life, individual strategies for adaptation and support from both social relationship and the society.

Health outcomes after acute ischemic stroke:retrospective and survival analysis from Oman

BACKGROUND

Stroke mortality and related functional disability have been declining over the last two decades, but stroke continues to represent the second leading cause of cardiovascular death worldwide and the number one cause for acquired long-term disability.

OBJECTIVES

Assess short- and long-term health outcomes after acute ischemic stroke and analyze factors associated with poor survival and functional outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective and survival analysis SETTING: Inpatient unit at a tertiary care referral hospital.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke from 1 January 2017 to 31 August 2018 were included in the study. Functional status was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Other demographic and clinical variables were obtained from medical records. Data were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards, and the Kaplan-Meier method. Long-term follow-up data, including mortality and mRS was collected by follow-up phone call.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Functional dependency and factors associated with mortality.

SAMPLE SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS

110 with mean age of 67.0 (14.7) years; 59 patients (53.6%) were males.

RESULTS

Hypertension (75.5%), diabetes mellitus (54.6%), and dyslipidemia (29.1%) were common. Sixty-five patients (59.1%) had mRS >2 upon discharge including 18 patients (16.4%) who died during the hospital stay. The cumulative mortality rate was 25.4% (28/110) at 12 months and 30.0% (33/110) at 24 months. Twenty-nine stroke survivors (29/70, 41.4%) remained physically dependent (mRS >2) at the end of follow-up. Old age, atrial fibrillation, history of prior stroke, chronic kidney disease, and peripheral arterial disease were associated with increased mortality and functional dependence.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients in Oman with acute ischemic stroke tend to have a high comorbidity burden, and their functional dependency and mortality are higher compared to patients from developed countries. Therefore, evidence-based measures such as establishing stroke units are essential to improve the health outcomes of patients with acute ischemic stroke.

LIMITATIONS

Retrospective at single center.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

None.

[A comparative analysis of the clinical and anamnestic status of patients with chronic occlusion of the carotid arteries based on the data of observational registries]

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinical and anamnestic status of patients with chronic carotid artery occlusion (CCAO) based on the analysis of risk factors, demographic and clinical and anatomical characteristics, the dynamics of the disease; to evaluate ongoing drug therapy, the incidence of strokes (MI) and deaths (according to the local registry compared with the results of other observational studies).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

PubMed and eLibrary searches for a systematic review were performed from October 24 to December 10, 2021 independently by two investigators. Out of 870 articles, based on inclusion/exclusion criteria, 8 studies were selected and included in the systematic review.

RESULTS

A comparative analysis of the clinical and anamnestic status of patients with CCAO according to the present review showed the following data on the prevalence of the main risk factors/diseases: hypertension - 79.1%; male gender - 83.7%; smoking - 46%; diabetes mellitus - 30.5%. Of the entire of own Duplex registry group (n=2548), 7 patients were identified with CCAO (0.27%). All patients were male (mean age 71.3±9.4 years). Endpoints were recorded in 5 of 7 participants during the follow-up period (8.9 years): 5 deaths, 2 fatal MI, 1 non-fatal MI, 1 myocardial infarction. A significant impact of the fact of MI on the survival of patients was confirmed using the standard log-rank test (p=0.02 and the Cox-Mendel test (p=0.04). The incidence of MI during the prospective follow-up according to the analyzed studies ranged from 4.3% (within a month of follow-up) to 42.8% (with a follow-up of 8.9 years), and averaged 12%.

CONCLUSIONS

A comparative analysis of the clinical and anamnestic status of patients with CCAO based on data from observational registers showed that the probability of detecting this pathology is associated with age and male gender. Data obtained from prospective observation of patients with CCAO in our own study show that the development of MI is one of the main factors affecting the survival of this category of patients.