emergencies in geriatric patients
DESCRIPTION
Health care emergencies among the geriatric or elderly populationsTRANSCRIPT
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Age Does Matter: Critical Issues in the
ED Evaluation of Geriatric Patients
Marc Evans M. Abat, MD, FPCP, FPCGM
Section of Adult Medicine, Department of Medicine, PGH
Head, Center for Healthy Aging, The Medical City
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Case
• 92/F
• CC: increased sleeping
• (+)hypertension
• (+)type 2 diabetes on 4 oral hypoglycemic
agents
• (+) dyslipidemia
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• Came from Samar due to fever and
headaches
• Seen at another tertiary hospital in Manila
– Dx: viral upper respiratory tract infection
– DM medications adjusted due to high CBGs
• Increased sleeping started 2 days before
current consultation
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• ROS: (+)memory lapses notable since 2
months prior to admission
• Physical examination at the ER
– BP 100/60 HR 84 RR 20 T 36.7°C
– Patient drowsy to stuporous, minimal eye
opening on name calling and tapping, groans
only with no distinct verbal output
– E/N findings for other organ systems including
neuro
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What is your initial
impression?
A. Hypoglycemia
B. Infection
C. Electrolyte Imbalance
D. Stroke
E. Dehydration
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Outline
• Critical Role of the Emergency Medicine
Physician
• Clinical Vignettes in the Care of the Older
Patient at the Emergency Department
• Common Presenting Complaints
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Critical Role of the
Emergency Medicine
Physician
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BMC Geriatrics 2013, 13:83
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BMC Geriatrics 2013, 13:83
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Compared to ages 18-60, those > 60 years
• Adjusted OR for admission
– 1.7 (1.6-1.8, p<0.001)
• Adjusted OR for mortality
– 2.3 (2.0-2.5, p<0.001)
BMC Geriatrics 2013, 13:83
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Critical Care 2006, 10:R82 (doi:10.1186/cc4926)
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Critical Care 2006, 10:R82 (doi:10.1186/cc4926)
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Clinical Vignettes in the
Care of the Older Patient at
the Emergency Department
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Geriatric syndromes
• refer to multifactorial health conditions that
occur when the accumulated effects of
impairments in multiple systems render an
older person vulnerable to situational
challenges
• Emphasizes multiple causation of a unified
manifestation
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Syndromes in the young population
Geriatric syndromes
a group of symptoms that do not need to be highly prevalent
highly prevalent, mostly single symptom states
a single pathogenetic pathway, known or unknown, causes the symptoms.
the leading symptom is linked to a number of aetiological factors or diseases in other organs.
separate entities, and there is no overlap between aetiological factors of different syndromes
large overlap between the aetiological factors of different geriatric syndromes.
in younger patients, one usually finds a single syndrome in one patient
A geriatric patient often suffers from more than one geriatric syndrome
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• Use of the terminology leads to special
considerations
– multiple risk factors and multiple organ systems are
often involved
– diagnostic strategies to identify the underlying causes
can sometimes be ineffective, burdensome,
dangerous, and costly
– therapeutic management of the clinical manifestations
can be helpful even in the absence of a firm diagnosis
or clarification of the underlying causes
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• Education Committee Writing Group
(ECWG) of the American Geriatrics
Society recommends that undergraduate
students should be trained profoundly in
the 13 most common geriatric syndromes
dementia inappropriate prescribing of medications
osteoporosis
depression incontinence sensory alterations including hearing
and visual impairment
delirium iatrogenic problems immobility and
gait disturbances
falls failure to thrive
pressure ulcers sleep disorders
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• Diseases often present atypically – Reflects organ system most restricted in homeostasis
– Confusion, increased somnolence, incontinence are common manifestations of infection, hip fracture
• Aggressive medical attention is necessary to prevent domino effect of illness– Endpoint: multiple organ failure
• Law of parsimony does not hold– Symptoms in elderly often due to multiple causes
Paradigm shifts
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Common Presenting
Complaints
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Acute Myocardial
Infarction
• “Silent” MI more common
• Dyspnea only
• May present with signs, symptoms of acute abdomen--including tenderness, rigidity
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Acute Myocardial
Infarction
• Possibly just vague symptoms
– Weakness
– Fatigue
– Syncope
– Incontinence
– Confusion
– TIA/CVA
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Congestive Heart Failure
• Nocturnal confusion
• Bed-ridden patients may have fluid over sacral areas rather than feet, legs
• Without orthopnea or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspneain earlier stages
• “Visceral” or pulmonary congestion without peripheral edema
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Acute Arterial Occlusion
• May be painless and
easily missed
• May manifest only with
a cyanotic, pulseless
and cold extremity
• Unpredictable and may
follow any acute
disease
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Pulmonary Edema
• May be tricky to differentiate
from other causes of
crackles
– Pneumonia
– Bronchiectasis
• Need to use other modalities
– Hepatojugular reflux
– labs (e.g. BNP)
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Pulmonary Embolism
• Suspect in any patient with sudden onset
of dyspnea when cause cannot be quickly
identified
– D-dimer??
– DVT screening??
– Venous duplex scanning??
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Pneumonia
• Possibly atypical presentations– Absence of cough, fever
– Loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping
– Abdominal rather than chest pain
– Altered mental status
– Falls
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease
• Usually causes a progressive
degree of dyspnea and
coughing over a long period of
time, with episodes of acute
exacerbation
• May co-exist with other acute
problems (e.g. MI, pneumonia)
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Constipation
• May acutely present as
– Delirium
– BP spikes
– Gastric retention
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Diarrhea and Dehydration
• Dehydration may be difficult to assess in the elderly due to preexistent– Xerostomia
– Loss of subcutaneous tissues
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• Manifests as
– Delirium
– Decreasing blood
pressure
– Loss of urine
output
– Tachycardia
– hypotension
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Acute abdominal pain
• Numerous etiologies– Pneumonia
– Myocardial infarction
– Gastroenteritis
– Malabsorptionsyndromes
– Mesenteric disease
– Acute appendicitis
– Malignancy
• May be accompanied by abdominal rigidity despite the absence of peritonitis
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GI Bleeding
• Manifest with
progressive pallor and
weakness, loss of
appetite, body malaise
• May also present with
progressive abdominal
enlargement with initial
constipation
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Urinary Tract Infection
• Patient may not complain of painful
urination or frequency or urgency
• May manifest with acute incontinence,
delirium or loss of appetite
• In cases of pyelonephritis, there may be
absence of costovertebral tenderness and
fever
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Uremia
• Symptoms related to the inability of the
kidney to remove toxins
• May present with delirium, persistent
nausea and vomiting, tachypnea
• May present atypically with body malaise,
poor appetite, weakness
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Hypoglycemia
• Patient may not complain of hunger, tremors, sweating and other signs seen in the young
• May just present with loss of consciousness or seizures
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Hyperglycemia
• Symptoms are attributable to the
underlying disorder
– Diabetic ketoacidosis
– Hyperosmolar, hyperglycemic state
• Include delirium, loss of urine output,
tachypnea, diarrhea, coma
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Electrolyte disorders
• Hyponatremia
– Weakness, sleepiness, difficulty walking or ambulating, delirium
• Hypernatremia
– Delirium, seizures, coma
• Hyperkalemia
– Sudden cardiac death
• Hypokalemia
– Muscle weakness, sudden cardiac death
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Dementia vs. Delirium
• Stable and progressive vs waxing and waning
• chronic onset vs acute onset
• The former has more prominent cognitive
impairment, the latter has sensorium as
dominant impairment
• Never assume acute dementia or altered mental
status is due to “senility”
• Ask relatives, other caregivers what the patient’s
baseline mental status is
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• Head injury with
subdural hematoma
• Alcohol, drug
intoxication, withdrawal
• Tumor
• CNS Infections
• Electrolyte imbalances
• Cardiac failure
• Hypoglycemia
• Hypoxia
• Drug interactions
Possible Causes of Delirium
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Cerebrovascular Accident
• signs often subtle—dizziness,
behavioral change, altered
affect
• Headache, especially if
localized, is significant
• Stroke-like symptoms may be
delayed effect of head trauma
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Seizures
• All first time seizures in elderly are dangerous
• Possible causes
CVA
Arrhythmias
Infection
Alcohol, drug withdrawal
Tumors
Head trauma
Hypoglycemia
Electrolyte imbalance
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Syncope
• Morbidity, mortality higher
• Consider
– Cardiogenic causes (MI, arrhythmias)
– Transient ischemic attack
– Drug effects (beta blockers, vasodilators)
– Volume depletion
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Depression
• Common problem
• May account for symptoms of “senility”
• Persons >65 account for 25% of all
suicides
• Treat as possibly life threatening
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Head Injury
• More likely, even with minor trauma
• Signs of increased ICP develop slowly
• Patient may have forgotten injury, delayed
presentation may be mistaken for CVA
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Cervical Injury
• Osteoporosis, narrow spinal canal increase injury risk from trivial forces
• Sudden neck movements may cause cord injury without fracture
• Decreased pain sensation may mask pain of fracture
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Hypovolemia & Shock
• Decreased ability to compensate
• Progress to irreversible shock rapidly
• Tolerate hypoperfusion poorly, even for
short periods
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Hypovolemia & Shock
• Hypoperfusion may occur at “normal” pressures
• Medications (beta blockers) may mask signs of
shock
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Geriatric Abuse & Neglect
• Physical, psychological injury of older
person by their children or care providers
• Knows no socioeconomic bounds
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Geriatric Abuse & Neglect
• Contributing factors
– Advanced age: average mid-80s
– Multiple chronic diseases
– Patient lacks total dependence
– Sleep pattern disturbances leading to
nocturnal wandering, shouting
– Family has difficulty upholding commitments
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Geriatric Abuse & Neglect
• Primary findings
– Trauma inconsistent with history
– History that changes with multiple tellings
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Serious head injuries sometimes
denote geriatric abuse.
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General Management
Guides
• No enormous change
• “Start Low, Go Slow, But Keep on Going”
• Be wary of Drug Adverse Reactions!
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Additional
• Geriatric Emergency Department
Guidelines (2014)
– American College of Emergency Physicians
– American Geriatrics Society
– Emergency Nurses Association
– Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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• Geriatric Emergency Medicine Fellowships
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Summary
• The Emergency Physician plays a vital
role in the initial management of the
Geriatric patient
• Symptoms of the Geriatric ED patient are
often multiple, overlapping, and atypical,
complicated by existing diseases,
medications and age-related changes
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