Orthostatic Hypotension and Falls in Hospitalized Older Adults

Overview

Journal Clin Nurs Res

Specialty Nursing

Date 2021 Jan 11

PMID 33426904

Citations 1

Authors

Kathleen Schell

Denise Lyons

Barry Bodt

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension (OH) among a convenience sample of older adults on two Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) units of the ChristianaCare™ in Delaware. Another aim was to determine if subjects with documented OH experienced falls. Retrospective de-identified data was obtained from electronic medical records for the years 2015 to 2018. Among all patients who had valid first orthostatic vital sign (OVS) readings ( = 7,745), 39.2% had orthostatic hypotension on the first reading. Among the patients, 42.8% were found to be hypotensive during OVS. Thirty-one (0.9%) of those with OH fell at some point during their stay. The odds ratio for falls in the presence of OH was 1.34 with a 95% confidence interval (0.82, 2.21), but a chi-square test failed to find significance ( = .2494). The results could not determine if OVS should be mandatory in fall prevention protocols.

Citing Articles

Cardiovascular Disorders and Falls Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Bourke R, Doody P, Perez S, Moloney D, Lipsitz L, Kenny R J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2023; 79(2).

PMID: 37738307 PMC: 10809055. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glad221.

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