A senile case of heart failure associated with hypermagnesemia induced by magnesium-containing laxative agent

Continuous laxative use and its relationship to defecation among residents of nursing homes: A longitudinal observational study using the interRAI

AIM

To clarify the association between constipation, diarrhea, and long-term laxative use in Japanese nursing home residents.

METHODS

Data from 306 residents with chronic constipation aged over 75 years for basic characteristics, medication use, activities of daily living, and concurrent illness were collected via two consecutive 6-monthly surveys conducted using the Japanese interRAI assessment tool. We used bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the associations between chronic constipation, diarrhea, and continuous laxative use.

RESULTS

Chronic constipation persisted in 74.5% of residents despite their continuous use of laxatives. Additionally, 14.4% experienced chronic diarrhea while on laxatives. Residents using salt laxatives had significantly lower chronic constipation than those not using salt laxatives (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.52), while residents using novel laxatives had significantly higher chronic diarrhea than those not using novel laxatives (AOR 4.28).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal that bowel movement-related problems remain a concern and highlight the need for further research on the use of novel laxatives in nursing home residents. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 133-139.

Comprehensive nursing intervention improves quality of life and reduces hospitalization time and expense in elderly patients with severe heart failure undergoing rh-BNP treatment

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to explore the efficacy of comprehensive nursing intervention in elderly patients with severe heart failure (SHF) treated by recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide (rh-BNP).

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was made on 131 patients with SHF treated with rh-BNP in Wuhan Asia Cardiology Hospital from May 2019 to May 2022. Of them, 71 patients who received routine nursing care between May 2019 and December 2021 were assigned to the control group, and 60 patients who received comprehensive nursing between January 2022 and May 2022 were assigned to the observation group. The changes in quality of life (QoL) before and after nursing and the occurrence of adverse events after nursing were counted and compared between the two groups. The two groups were compared reagarding changes in anxiety and depression scores before and after nursing, as well as hospitalization expenses and hospitalization time. The left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of patients were determined. The nursing satisfaction of the two groups was evaluated. Additionally, logistic regression was carried out to analyze the risk factors for adverse events.

RESULTS

The control group had lower QoL scores than the observation group after nursing (P < 0.0001). The control group got significantly higher self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) scores than the observation group (P < 0.0001). The control group showed lower levels of LVEDV and LVEF than the observation group (P < 0.0001). The control group experienced greatly longer hospitalization time than the observation group, and also had a higher hospitalization expense than the observation group (P < 0.001). The observation group expressed much higher nursing satisfaction than the control group (P=0.007). Additionally, according to multivariate logistic regression analysis, age, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were independent risk factors for adverse events (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

For elderly SHF patients treated by rh-BNP, comprehensive nursing intervention can contribute to higher QoL, shorter hospitalization time, lower hospitalization expense, and milder negative emotions, but did not correlate with short-term adverse cardiovascular events.