A month after an acute myocardial infarction, many patients ages 65 and older experience slow gait, and new research suggests that is a harbinger of likely hospital readmission or death within one year, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Researchers conducted an observational cohort study with longitudinal follow-up across 24 hospitals. Information compiled on 338 patients ages 65 and older with in-home gait assessment at one month after AMI was analyzed.
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Slow gait was observable in 181 study participants. Patients with slow gait tended to be older, were more likely to be female and had an increased presence of heart failure and diabetes. When compared with patients with sustained gait, those with slow gait were more likely (38.5 percent versus 18.5 percent) to be readmitted to the hospital or die within a year. The ratio retained its significance after researchers adjusted for age, sex and race. However, the ratio was no longer substantial after adjusting for clinical factors.
Study authors concluded that slow gait is associated with nearly twice the risk of dying or hospital readmission within one year after AMI in patients 65 and older. "Understanding its prognostic importance independent of comorbidities and whether routine testing of gait speed can improve care requires further investigation," they wrote.
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