Prosthetic Disuse Leads to Lower Balance Confidence in a Long-Term User of a Transtibial Prosthesis.

Residual limb wounds or ulcers are one of the most frequent skin problems reported by lower extremity prosthesis users. Healing often requires prosthesis disuse, which can logically impair physical functioning. However, there are limited data available to support this idea. We report the impact of prosthesis disuse by presenting assessments of balance, gait, physical activity, and balance confidence obtained on a case subject before experiencing a wound and following reintroduction to a well-fit prosthesis after wound-related prosthesis disuse. The case subject was a 76-year-old male who suffered a unilateral, transtibial amputation due to synovial sarcoma 13 years before. After presenting with a history of pain in the area of a chronic skin plaque, he received a punch biopsy, which resulted in 4 weeks of prosthesis disuse followed by 12 weeks of limited use before a final well-fitting socket was received. The following data were collected 24 weeks before the biopsy and 4 weeks after receiving the final well-fitting socket: Berg Balance Scale, L-test of walking, quantitative gait analysis, Activity-specific Balance Confidence Scale, and 1 week of community-based activity. Balance confidence decreased nearly 19%, walking speed decreased by 12%, and steps/day decreased by 19% following ∼4 months of prosthesis disuse/limited use; functional measures were not impacted. Lower balance confidence is not trivial as it can lead to activity avoidance and increased fall risk. Interventions to target balance confidence changes following prosthesis disuses may be important to minimize the impact of disuse on physical and mental well-being.

Combining physical therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to improve balance confidence and community participation in people with unilateral transtibial amputation who use lower limb prostheses: a study protocol for a randomized sham-control clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Low balance confidence is a prevalent yet overlooked issue among people who use lower limb prostheses (LLP) that can diminish community integration and quality of life. There is a critical need to develop rehabilitation programs that specifically target balance confidence in people who use LLP. Previous research has shown that multicomponent interventions including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques and exercise are feasible and effective for improving balance confidence in older adults. Therefore, a cognitive behavioral-physical therapy (CBPT) intervention was developed to target balance confidence and increase community integration in people who use LLP. METHODS/DESIGN: This randomized control trial will recruit 60 people who use LLP with low balance confidence. Participants will be randomized to the CBPT intervention condition or control condition. DISCUSSION: The trial is designed to test the effects of the CBPT intervention on balance confidence and functional mobility in lower limb prosthesis users by examining self-reported and objective measures of community integration and quality of life. The trial will also examine the relationship between changes in balance confidence and changes in community integration following participation in CBPT intervention. Additionally, through participant feedback, researchers will identify opportunities to improve intervention efficacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03411148. Registration date: January 26, 2018.

Predictors of Agitated Behavior During Inpatient Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of the severity of agitated behavior during inpatient traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal observational study. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation centers. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients enrolled between 2008 and 2011, admitted for inpatient rehabilitation after index TBI, who exhibited agitation during their stay (n=555, N=2130). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Daytime Agitated Behavior Scale scores. RESULTS: Infection and lower FIM cognitive scores predicted more severe agitation. The medication classes associated with more severe agitation included sodium channel antagonist anticonvulsants, second-generation antipsychotics, and gamma-aminobutyric acid-A anxiolytics/hypnotics. Medication classes associated with less severe agitation included antiasthmatics, statins, and norepinephrine-dopamine-5 hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) agonist stimulants. CONCLUSIONS: Further support is provided for the importance of careful serial monitoring of both agitation and cognition to provide early indicators of possible beneficial or adverse effects of pharmacologic interventions used for any purpose and for giving careful consideration to the effects of any intervention on underlying cognition when attempting to control agitation. Cognitive functioning was found to predict agitation, medications that have been found in previous studies to enhance cognition were associated with less agitation, and medications that can potentially suppress cognition were associated with more agitation. There could be factors other than the interventions that account for these relations. In addition, the study provides support for treatment of underlying disorders as a possible first step in management of agitation. Although the results of this study cannot be used to draw causal inferences, the associations that were found can be used to generate hypotheses about the most viable interventions that should be tested in future controlled trials.

Emergency Department Sickle Cell Assessment of Needs and Strengths (ED-SCANS), a focus group and decision support tool development project.

OBJECTIVES: A decision support tool may guide emergency clinicians in recognizing assessment, analgesic and overall management, and health service delivery needs for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the emergency department (ED). We aimed to identify data and process elements important in making decisions regarding evaluation and management of adult patients in the ED with painful episodes of SCD. METHODS: Qualitative methods using a series of focus groups and grounded theory were used. Eligible participants included adult clients with SCD and emergency physicians and nurses with a minimum of 1 year of experience providing care to patients with SCD in the ED. Patients were recruited in conjunction with annual SCD meetings, and providers included clinicians who were and were not affiliated with sickle cell centers. Groups were conducted until saturation was reached and included a total of two patient groups, three physician groups, and two nurse groups. Focus groups were held in New York, Durham, Chicago, New Orleans, and Denver. Clinician participants were asked the following three questions to guide the discussion: 1) what information would be important to know about patients with SCD in the ED setting to effectively care for them and help you identify patient analgesic, treatment, and referral needs? 2) What treatment decisions would you make with this information? and 3) What characteristics would a decision support tool need to have to make it meaningful and useful? Client participants were asked the same questions with rewording to reflect what they believed providers should know to provide the best care and what they should do with the information. All focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data. Two coders independently coded participant responses and identified focal themes based on the key questions. An investigator and assistant independently reviewed the transcripts and met until the final coding structure was determined. RESULTS: Forty-seven individuals participated (14 persons with SCD, 16 physicians, and 17 nurses) in a total of seven different groups. Two major themes emerged: acute management and health care utilization. Major subthemes included the following: physiologic findings, diagnostics, assessment and treatment of acute painful episodes, and disposition. The most common minor subthemes that emerged included past medical history, presence of a medical home (physician or clinic), individualized analgesic treatment plan for treatment of painful episodes, history of present illness, medical home follow-up available, patient-reported analgesic treatment that works, and availability of analgesic prescription at discharge. Additional important elements in treatment of acute pain episodes included the use of a standard analgesic protocol, need for fluids and nonpharmacologic interventions, and the assessment of typicality of pain presentation. The patients' interpretation of the need for hospital admission also ranked high. CONCLUSIONS: Participants identified several areas that are important in the assessment, management, and disposition decisions that may help guide best practices for SCD patients in the ED setting.

The use of topical anesthesia during intravenous catheter insertion in adults: a comparison of pain scores using LMX-4 versus placebo.

INTRODUCTION: Intravenous (IV) catheter placement is an extremely common painful procedure performed in all ages and healthcare settings, more often than not without anesthetics, despite clear research and guidelines demonstrating their effectiveness. This study examined differences in pain scores following topical anesthetic and placebo application, in a sample of healthy adult volunteers experiencing IV catheterization. METHODS: During this prospective, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, 43 subjects were randomized to receive LMX-4 on one hand and hand cream on the other 30 minutes prior to IV catheterization. Paired t-tests were used to measure the difference in pain scores between hands. Pain scores were reported utilizing a visual analog scale (0-10 cm) immediately after each stick. As a control, the difficulty of the IV stick was rated on a 0-10 cm scale and recorded by the nurse who started the IV. RESULTS: The mean pain score and standard deviation reported for the LMX-4 hand was 3.2 (SD=2.25, range, 0-8.5 cm), while the placebo hand was 4.67 (SD=2.25, range, 0.25-10 mm). The mean paired difference between LMX-4 and placebo hands was -1.37 (95% CI; -2.2, -0.49); subjects receiving LMX-4 reported clinically as well as statistically significant pain reductions (t=-3.17, p=0.003). When adjusted for difficulty of stick, pain scores continued to remain lower in the LMX-4 hand. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that the topical use of LMX-4 anesthetic cream is a viable option for reducing the pain associated with IV catheter insertion in adults.