journal articles
REPETITIVE BIOELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE ANALYSIS TO PREDICT OUTCOME IN EARLY GERIATRIC REHABILITATION
H. Burkhardt, M. Schaarschmidt, F. Schneider, H. Leweling
J Aging Res Clin Practice 2013;2(1):200-204
Objectives: To evaluate prognostic value of bioelectrical impedance analysis in a geriatric acute care setting providing early rehabilitation. Design: Observational study. Setting: Geriatric acute care ward. Participants: A case series of 33 elderly patients admitted to early geriatric rehabilitation course after severe deconditioning in the context of acute disease. Measurements: Comprehensive geriatric assessment, Mini-Nutritional-Assessment (MNA), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Telephone based assessment 6 months after discharge. Results: 11 patients showed a favorable rehabilitation course (gain of at least 10 ADL points) and 22 patients did not. A positive increment of reactance in the repetitive analysis was significantly associated with an unfavorable outcome, whereas baseline values of functionality markers and BIA were not. 11 patients died within a 6-month interval after discharge. Lower ADL-score, reactance and phase angle were found to be significantly associated with 6-month-mortality. A phase angle below 4° comprised a 3.7 fold mortality-risk. Conclusion: Assessment of phase angle that could be easily obtained even in bedridden subjects may represent a comprehensive additional marker to estimate 6-month prognosis of an individual patient undergoing early geriatric rehabilitation treatment in an acute care setting. For short-term improvement of functionality during rehabilitation course the assessment of increments in BIA-markers reveals more promising.