Relationship Between Somatosensory and Motor Recovery From Acute Hospital Admission to 3 Months Poststroke

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Upper extremity (UE) functional recovery after stroke requires the integration of motor and sensory systems. We describe the relationship among recovery of somatosensation, motor impairment, and manual dexterity from acute to 3 months poststroke. Sensory retraining emphasized in conjunction with motor interventions after stroke may improve functional UE outcomes. Primary Author and Speaker: Isha Vora Contributing Authors: David Lin, Julie DiCarlo, Jessica Ranford, and Teresa J. Kimberley

P100 Acute crystal arthritis: a leading cause of hospital admission, yet poorly recognised and mistreated

Background/Aims Crystal arthritis is the commonest inflammatory arthritis in adults. A common mimic is septic arthritis. Without appropriate synovial fluid analysis, a mis-diagnosis of sepsis can be made with resultant unnecessary hospitalization, inappropriate intravenous antibiotic therapy and excess cost. Such cases are frequently described as ‘culture-negative’ septic arthritis. We aimed to examine and analyse the cases of acute arthritis requiring acute hospital admission in a tertiary referral centre in Dublin. Methods A retrospective review of database between Jan - Dec 2019 at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, was carried out. All cases of acute arthritis requiring acute hospital admission were identified. Cases treated at the Emergency Department, Acute Medical Unit or Outpatients which did not require hospital admission were excluded. Results 30 patients were identified during this period, 16 (53%) had an ultimate diagnosis of crystal arthritis, 8 (27%) had confirmed septic arthritis and 6 (20%) had other arthritides (e.g. haemoarthrosis). The median age for crystal arthritis was significantly higher (85.5 y) compared to septic arthritis (47 y). Apart from age, the clinical profile and biomarkers for crystal and septic arthritis were comparable. The majority of crystal arthritis cases were due to pseudogout (69 %), ultimately diagnosed by rheumatology. Septic arthritis led to more days in hospital than crystal arthritis (median 14 vs 5.5 days). All 30 patients received IV antimicrobial therapy for presumed septic arthritis. Conclusion This retrospective study showed crystal arthritis, especially pseudogout, was the commonest cause of hospital admission (53%) with acute arthritis particularly among elderly patients. Accurate diagnosis by synovial fluid analysis with appropriate equipment is extremely useful in the assessment of these cases. More awareness and training among orthopedic, emergency and acute clinicians is needed in order to avoid unnecessary admissions and interventions. Disclosure A. Abdalla: None.

Targeted rehabilitation may improve patient flow and outcomes: development and implementation of a novel Proactive Rehabilitation Screening (PReS) service

Rehabilitation programmes can be delivered to patients receiving acute care (‘in-reach rehabilitation’) and/or those who have completed acute care but experience ongoing functional impairments (‘subacute rehabilitation’). Access to these programmes depends on a rehabilitation assessment, but there are concerns that referrals for this assessment are often triggered too late in the acute care journey. We describe a Proactive Rehabilitation Screening (PReS) process designed to systematically screen patients during an acute hospital admission, and identify early those who are likely to require specialist rehabilitation assessment and intervention. The process is based on review of patient medical records on day 5 after acute hospital admission, or day 3 after transfer from intensive care to an acute hospital ward. Screening involves brief review of documented care needs, pre-existing and new functional disabilities, the need for allied health interventions and non-medical factors delaying discharge. From May 2017 to February 2019, the novel screening process was implemented as part of a service redesign of the rehabilitation consultation service. Four thousand consecutive screens were performed at the study site. Of those ‘ruled in’ by screening as needing a rehabilitation assessment, 86.0% went on to receive inpatient rehabilitation interventions. Of those ‘ruled out’ by screening, 92.1% did not go on to receive a rehabilitation intervention, while 7.9% did receive some form of rehabilitation intervention. Of all patients accepted into a rehabilitation programme (n=516), PReS was able to identify 53.6% (n=282) of them before the acute care teams made a referral (based on traditional criteria). In conclusion, we have designed and implemented a systematic, PReS service in one metropolitan Australian hospital. The process described was found to be time efficient and feasible to implement in an acute hospital setting. Further, it appeared to identify the majority of patients who went on to receive formal inpatient rehabilitation interventions.

Changes in muscle strength and physical function in older patients during and after hospitalisation: a prospective repeated-measures cohort study

Aim to investigate changes in knee-extension strength and physical function in older adults during and after acute hospital admission, and the contributions of illness severity, frailty and sedentary activity to changes in knee-extension strength. Methods prospective repeated-measures cohort study on a sample of participants aged ≥75 recruited within 24 hours of acute hospital admission. Knee-extension, grip strength and functional mobility (de Morton Mobility Index, DEMMI) were measured at recruitment, day 7 (or discharge if earlier), and at follow-up 4–6 weeks later. During the first 7 days, continuous measurement of physical activity and daily measurements of muscle strength were taken. Participants recalled the functional ability they had 2-weeks before admission and self-reported it at follow-up (Barthel Index, BI). Results sixty-five of 70 participants (median age 84 years) had at least one repeated measure of muscle strength in hospital. Knee-extension strength declined during hospitalisation by 11% (P < 0.001), but did not change post-hospitalisation (P = 0.458). Grip strength did not change during hospitalisation (P = 0.665) or from discharge to follow-up (P = 0.508). General functional ability (BI) deteriorated between 2 weeks before admission and follow-up (P < 0.001). Functional mobility (DEMMI) improved during hospitalisation (P < 0.001), but did not change post-hospitalisation (P = 0.508). A repeated-measures mixed model showed that greater loss in knee-extension strength during hospitalisation was associated with increased sedentary time, frailty and baseline strength and lower baseline inflammatory levels. Conclusions our observations add to a growing body of evidence on potential risk factors for hospital-associated deconditioning.

The impact of COVID-19 on elective and trauma spine service in a district general hospital

Aims The aim of this paper is to describe the impact of COVID-19 on spine surgery services in a district general hospital in England in order to understand the spinal service provisions that may be required during a pandemic. Methods A prospective cohort study was undertaken between 17 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 and compared with retrospective data from same time period in 2019. We compared the number of patients requiring acute hospital admission or orthopaedic referrals and indications of referrals from our admission sheets and obtained operative data from our theatre software. Results Between 17 March to 30 April 2020, there were 48 acute spine referrals as compared to 68 acute referrals during the same time period last year. In the 2019 period, 69% (47/68) of cases referred to the on-call team presented with back pain, radiculopathy or myelopathy compared to 43% (21/48) in the 2020 period. Almost 20% (14/68) of spine referrals consisted of spine trauma as compared to 35% (17/48) this year. There were no confirmed cases of cauda equine last year during this time. Overall, 150 spine cases were carried out during this time period last year, and 261 spine elective cases were cancelled since 17 March 2020. Recommendations We recommend following steps can be helpful to deal with similar situations or new pandemics in future: 24 hours on-call spine service during the pandemic. Clinical criteria in place to prioritize urgent spinal cases. Pre-screening spine patients before elective operating. Start of separate specialist trauma list for patients needing urgent surgeries. Conclusion This paper highlights the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in a district general hospital of England. We demonstrate a decrease in hospital attendances of spine pathologies, despite an increase in emergency spine operations. Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-6:281–286.

The impact of COVID-19 on elective and trauma spine service in a district general hospital

Aims The aim of this paper is to describe the impact of COVID-19 on spine surgery services in a district general hospital in England in order to understand the spinal service provisions that may be required during a pandemic. Methods A prospective cohort study was undertaken between 17 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 and compared with retrospective data from same time period in 2019. We compared the number of patients requiring acute hospital admission or orthopaedic referrals and indications of referrals from our admission sheets and obtained operative data from our theatre software. Results Between 17 March to 30 April 2020, there were 48 acute spine referrals as compared to 68 acute referrals during the same time period last year. In the 2019 period, 69% (47/68) of cases referred to the on-call team presented with back pain, radiculopathy or myelopathy compared to 43% (21/48) in the 2020 period. Almost 20% (14/68) of spine referrals consisted of spine trauma as compared to 35% (17/48) this year. There were no confirmed cases of cauda equine last year during this time. Overall, 150 spine cases were carried out during this time period last year, and 261 spine elective cases were cancelled since 17 March 2020. Recommendations We recommend following steps can be helpful to deal with similar situations or new pandemics in future: 24 hours on-call spine service during the pandemic. Clinical criteria in place to prioritize urgent spinal cases. Pre-screening spine patients before elective operating. Start of separate specialist trauma list for patients needing urgent surgeries. Conclusion This paper highlights the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in a district general hospital of England. We demonstrate a decrease in hospital attendances of spine pathologies, despite an increase in emergency spine operations. Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-6:281–286.

Incidence, clinical outcomes, and transmission dynamics of severe coronavirus disease 2019 in California and Washington: prospective cohort study

ObjectiveTo understand the epidemiology and burden of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) during the first epidemic wave on the west coast of the United States.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingKaiser Permanente integrated healthcare delivery systems serving populations in northern California, southern California, and Washington state.Participants1840 people with a first acute hospital admission for confirmed covid-19 by 22 April 2020, among 9 596 321 healthcare plan enrollees. Analyses of hospital length of stay and clinical outcomes included 1328 people admitted by 9 April 2020 (534 in northern California, 711 in southern California, and 83 in Washington).Main outcome measuresCumulative incidence of first acute hospital admission for confirmed covid-19, and subsequent probabilities of admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and mortality, as well as duration of hospital stay and ICU stay. The effective reproduction number (RE) describing transmission dynamics was estimated for each region.ResultsAs of 22 April 2020, cumulative incidences of a first acute hospital admission for covid-19 were 15.6 per 100 000 cohort members in northern California, 23.3 per 100 000 in southern California, and 14.7 per 100 000 in Washington. Accounting for censoring of incomplete hospital stays among those admitted by 9 April 2020, the estimated median duration of stay among survivors was 9.3 days (with 95% staying 0.8 to 32.9 days) and among non-survivors was 12.7 days (1.6 to 37.7 days). The censoring adjusted probability of ICU admission for male patients was 48.5% (95% confidence interval 41.8% to 56.3%) and for female patients was 32.0% (26.6% to 38.4%). For patients requiring critical care, the median duration of ICU stay was 10.6 days (with 95% staying 1.3 to 30.8 days). The censoring adjusted case fatality ratio was 23.5% (95% confidence interval 19.6% to 28.2%) among male inpatients and 14.9% (11.8% to 18.6%) among female inpatients; mortality risk increased with age for both male and female patients. Reductions in RE were identified over the study period within each region.ConclusionsAmong residents of California and Washington state enrolled in Kaiser Permanente healthcare plans who were admitted to hospital with covid-19, the probabilities of ICU admission, of long hospital stay, and of mortality were identified to be high. Incidence rates of new hospital admissions have stabilized or declined in conjunction with implementation of social distancing interventions.