Geriatric Emergencies
A “new” psychiatric problem (e.g. “psychosis” or “mania” or “aggressive behavior” is RARELY a de novo psychiatric problem – think medical (organic) etiology first, then think medications, then think something else OTHER than psychiatric - Alexander X. Lo MD PhD
HWN Suggests
EM approach to Geriatric Patient: Pearls & Pitfalls
Screen for geriatric syndromes to identify older adults at high risk for adverse events
- Delirium (abnormal RASS score) predicts increased mortality at 6 months
- Dementia is unrecognized in the ED up to 70% of the time
- Elder abuse and neglect may have subtle signs/symptoms
- Two mechanical falls in a given year indicates an increased risk of adverse events
- Declines in mobility (e.g. walking speed) is associated with increased hospitalization or mortality
Featured
Geriatric Emergency Medicine
Dr. Melady and Dr. Jacques Lee cover an approach to geriatric Delirium, managing agitation, indications for CT head in the delirious older person, management of recurrent falls, pearls in the assessment of the ‘Weak & Dizzy’ geriatric patient, key drug interactions, pain management, atypical ACS and pearls in Geriatric abdominal pain presentations.
Articles of Interest
Geriatric Trauma 2 Rib Fractures, Pelvic Fractures, Prognostication, Elder Abuse, Discharge Planning
In this Episode 160 – Geriatric Trauma Part 2 we answer questions such as: what are the indications for transfer to a trauma center in older patients with rib fractures and why? Can we accurately prognosticate older trauma patients in the ED? How can we best engage family members in goals of care discussions for the older trauma patient? What are the risk factors for elder abuse that we need to be aware of in the ED? How can we best minimize the risk for recurrent falls and bounce backs for the older trauma patient who is discharged from the ED? and many more…
Geriatric Trauma Part 1: The Under-Triaging Problem, Resuscitation, Airway, Head and C-spine Imaging, Clearing the C-spine
Older patients are more likely to experience trauma and to have worse outcomes after a trauma. In this Part 1 of our 2-part EM Cases podcast series on Geriatric Trauma, Dr. Barbara Haas, Dr. Camilla Wong and Dr. Bourke Tillmann answer questions such as: why are older patients under-triaged to trauma centers and how does that affect outcomes?
Most Common Elderly Emergencies
One of the most common emergencies with senior citizens is fall-related accidents and injuries. There are numerous reasons that senior citizens fall including poor nutrition, balance issues, tripping over a torn carpet, vision issues, and more. If your elderly loved one falls and gets injured, you may need to hire caregivers to take care of them until their injuries heal.
The Elderly in the Emergency Department
The evaluation, treatment, and prognosis of the elderly hospitalized in an emergency service are different from the adult patient, and it is necessary to know their particularities to provide optimal care.
Resources
GEMCast
GEMCast is a Geriatric Emergency Medicine Podcast: A series of lectures on clinical topics to help physicians, trainees, nurses, and paramedics who take care of older adults, particularly in the acute care setting.
Geriatric Emergency Department Guidelines
The Geriatric Emergency Department Guidelines is the product of two years of consensus-based collaborative work among representatives from SAEM, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Geriatrics Society, and the Emergency Nurses Association, and has been approved by the boards of directors of all four organizations.
The Journal Of Geriatric Emergency Medicine
Our mission is to improve emergency health care for older adults by providing an open access, peer-reviewed, quality education and dissemination platform giving providers in all disciplines the evidence they need to enhance emergency care for older adults.
Geri-EM
Personalized E-Learning in Geriatric Emergency Medicine...
