Patients who have unusually low blood pressure and are taking prescribed medications are twice as likely to experience a fall or faint as are those whose treated blood pressure is higher, according to a new study. The Kaiser Permanente research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, focused on patients whose systolic blood pressure… Continue reading Very Low Blood Pressure Isn’t Always a Good Thing
Tag: older patients
More Senior Patients Should Be Tested for Influenza
Adults 65 and older who are hospitalized for fever or respiratory symptoms are less likely to have a flu test than younger patients – an especially sobering finding given the seriousness of this year’s flu season. The research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, is especially important given the fact that the… Continue reading More Senior Patients Should Be Tested for Influenza
Antibiotics May Not Be Needed for Older Patients with Urinary Tract Infections
Prescribing antibiotics for urinary tract infections may not be necessary for older patients, according to new research. That conclusion was reached by Thomas E. Finucane, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Geriatrics Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. The finding was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. According to a news release from… Continue reading Antibiotics May Not Be Needed for Older Patients with Urinary Tract Infections
Older Patients Often Under-Report Pain
Older post-operative patients may experience pain but not admit it as often as younger patients, according to new research presented at this year’s Euroanaesthesia meeting in Geneva. Because of that, the researchers concluded, it may be better to ask patients directly about how well they are functioning post-operatively rather than about how much pain they… Continue reading Older Patients Often Under-Report Pain
Predicting Outcomes in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients
Researchers have developed a “predictive tool” to help determine the outcome for older patients who have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI). The tool developed by the team of investigators at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., accounts for variables such as age and severity of brain injury to help physicians and hospital staff… Continue reading Predicting Outcomes in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients
Why Wounds Heal More Slowly in Older Patients
Although it’s long been known that wounds heal more slowly in older patients, researchers have never been sure exactly why that’s the case. Now, they have found out. Recent experiments at The Rockefeller University explored this physiological puzzle by examining molecular changes in aging mouse skin. The results, described in the journal Cell, reveal a… Continue reading Why Wounds Heal More Slowly in Older Patients
More Medicine May Not Be Better Medicine for Older Patients
Seniors being treated with medicine for levels of blood sugar and hypertension may be able to take less medicine without losing any benefits, new research shows. A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests doctors and patients should work together to backpedal such treatment more often. The reason: In people in their 70s and… Continue reading More Medicine May Not Be Better Medicine for Older Patients
ICU Is Best for Older, Low-Risk Patients With Pneumonia
Among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with pneumonia, intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients, which appeared to be discretionary, was associated with improved survival and no significant differences in Medicare spending or hospital costs compared with patients admitted to general wards. That is the finding of a University of Michigan study published in the September 22/29… Continue reading ICU Is Best for Older, Low-Risk Patients With Pneumonia
Hospital Report Cards Have No Impact on Surgery Outcomes
If you’re an older person having a major operation these days, it is very likely that your hospital is receiving a “report card” on their performance. These reports are designed to prompt hospitals to improve in areas where they perform poorly. Unfortunately, those “report cards” do not seem to be making things better for patients.… Continue reading Hospital Report Cards Have No Impact on Surgery Outcomes
Antibiotic for UTI + Diuretic = Risk of Death in Older Patients
The combination of the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, frequently prescribed for urinary tract infections, with the diuretic spironolactone, widely used for heart failure, more than doubles the risk of death for older patients, reports a study published in February 2015 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). A release from CMAJ notes that more than 20 million prescriptions… Continue reading Antibiotic for UTI + Diuretic = Risk of Death in Older Patients