Abstract
Background Physical activity in elderly patients is crucial for recovery from proximal femoral fractures. Considering the limited possibilities for objective measurement, we aimed to evaluate the use of an accelerometer in this population to determine activity's association with functional independence, quality of life, and course of recovery. Methods 52 patients undergoing operative treatment for proximal femur fractures (81.3 ± 7.5 years) were included in a prospective cohort study. 12 patients with fall but without fracture of the lower extremities (80.8 ± 9.5 years) served as control. An Axivity AX3 tracker continuously recorded signal vector magnitudes during the hospital stay. Additionally, 2 ± 1 and 8 ± 3 days (time point 1 and 2) after operation EuroQol-5D and Barthel-20 indices were evaluated. Results Physical activity increased in all patients with time. Multiple regression analyses revealed that a high Barthel-20 before fracture, a low age, a high body mass index, high albumin, and low C-reactive protein levels were independent predictors for high physical activity at time point 1 (p < 0.05). Physical activity correlated significantly with EuroQol-5D and Barthel-20 at time point 1 and 2 (p < 0.02). Furthermore, physical activity at time point 1 predicted EuroQol-5D, physical activity, and Barthel-20 at time point 2 (p < 0.01). A multiple regression demonstrated equal physical activity in patients with or without a hip fracture. Conclusions Accelerometer signals correlate with postoperative physical activity, Barthel-20 and quality of life in elderly patients. Physical activity is thereby positively influenced by a high prefall functional independence and a good nutrition status. A timely and adequate operation provided, there is no difference between patients with or without a fracture. This trial is registered with DRKS 00011934 on 10th April 2017.
Highlights
Physical activity in elderly patients is crucial for recovery from proximal femoral fractures
While 66 participants were included in the present study, only 64 could be analyzed. 52 of them were part of the hip fracture group and 12 of the group without hip fracture, which nearly matches our prestudy power calculation
For 37 participants, activity data sets were acquired for both time points. ree trackers were lost in the mail and three were lost in the departments
Summary
Physical activity in elderly patients is crucial for recovery from proximal femoral fractures. Considering the limited possibilities for objective measurement, we aimed to evaluate the use of an accelerometer in this population to determine activity’s association with functional independence, quality of life, and course of recovery. Multiple regression analyses revealed that a high Barthel-20 before fracture, a low age, a high body mass index, high albumin, and low C-reactive protein levels were independent predictors for high physical activity at time point 1 (푝 < 0.05). Data evaluating activity in elderly patients a er operations in association with function and quality of life are even only anecdotally available [17, 18]. We hypothesized that accelerometers can monitor activity in older people and supply personalized information about the degree of recovery evaluated by scores for functional independence and quality of life. Our study is based on a reliable accelerometer (Axivity AX3) [19] and recently validated algorithms for measurement of PA in this fragile population [20]
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