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Lalit Kalra

Publications and source records attributed to Lalit Kalra.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Early assessments of dysphagia and aspiration risk in acute stroke patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Dysphagia is common after stroke and is a marker of poor prognosis. Early identification is important. This article reviews the merits and limitations of various assessment methods available to clinicians. METHODS: An electronic database search was performed of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database using such terms as stroke, aspiration, dysphagia, and assessment; extensive manual searching of articles was also conducted. RESULTS: Bedside tests are safe, relatively straightforward, and easily repeated but have variable sensitivity (42% to 92%), specificity (59% to 91%), and interrater reliability (kappa=0 to 1.0). They are also poor at detecting silent aspiration. Videofluoroscopy gives anatomic and functional information and allows testing of therapeutic techniques. However, swallowing is assessed under ideal conditions that are different from clinical settings, and reliability is often poor (kappa=0 to 0.75) in the absence of assessor training. Fiberoptic endoscopy allows swallow assessment and sensory testing but requires specialized staff and equipment. Oxygen desaturation during swallowing may be predictive of aspiration (sensitivity, 73% to 87%; specificity, 39% to 87%) but is more useful in combination with bedside testing than in isolation. Other methods of swallow testing are invasive and require specialized staff and equipment. CONCLUSIONS: Although bedside tests remain an important early screening tool for dysphagia and aspiration risk, further refinements are needed to improve their accuracy.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

A randomized controlled trial of an enhanced balance training program to improve mobility and reduce falls in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced balance training program in improving mobility and well-being of elderly people with balance problems. DESIGN: Prospective, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: District general hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred ninety-nine patients aged 60 and older with a Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score of less than 45. INTERVENTIONS: Six weeks enhanced balance training consisting of a series of repetitive tasks of increasing difficulty specific to functional balance. The control group received physiotherapy conforming to existing practice in elderly patients with mobility problems. MEASUREMENTS: Ten-meter timed walk test (TWT), BBS, Frenchay Activities Index (FAI), Falls Handicap Inventory (FHI), and European Quality of Life questionnaire (Euroqol) measured at 6, 12, and 24 weeks after intervention. RESULTS: The mean age +/- standard deviation of subjects was 82.7 +/- 5.6, and baseline characteristics were comparable between the groups. Both groups showed improvements in TWT (intervention: 22.5-16.5 seconds, P =.001; control: 20.5-15.8 seconds, P =.054), BBS (intervention: 33.3-42.7, P =.001; control: 33.4-42.0, P <.0001), FAI (18-21, P =.02 in both groups), FHI score (intervention: 31-17, P =.0001; control: 33-17, P =.0001) and Euroqol score (intervention: 58-65, P =.04; control: 60-65, P =.07). There were no intergroup differences at any time. More patients reported increased confidence in walking indoors (36% vs 28%; P =.04) and outdoors (27% vs 18%; P =.02) in the enhanced balance-training group. CONCLUSION: Exercise programs significantly improve balance and mobility in patients with balance problems, independent of strategy. Enhanced balance training may, in addition, improve confidence and quality of life but needs further investigation.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2003

The economic burden of stroke in the United Kingdom.

AIM: To estimate the cost of treating stroke in the UK. METHODS: A cost-of-illness model was constructed to estimate stroke-related costs over a 5-year period. The cost estimates were based on data from a large, randomised, prospective study comparing alternative strategies of stroke care. The study collected detailed data on resource use in hospital, primary care, healthcare contacts, and utilisation of social services over a period of 1 year following stroke. A Markov framework was used to extrapolate 1-year costs over 5 years. RESULTS: The model estimated that, for every patient who experiences a stroke, the cost to the NHS in the UK is pound 15306 over 5 years and, when informal care costs are included, the amount increases to pound 29405 (2001/2002 prices). The robustness of the cost findings was explored with the use of sensitivity analysis. This focused on the key variables of rates of recurrent stroke, the estimated acute costs, and costs attached to institution and home care. CONCLUSION: As well as being a considerable cause of morbidity and mortality, stroke is also a huge cost burden to both the UK's NHS and the carers of stroke victims.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

A multicentre observational study of presentation and early assessment of acute stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate delays in the presentation to hospital and evaluation of patients with suspected stroke. DESIGN: Multicentre prospective observational study. SETTING: 22 hospitals in the United Kingdom and Dublin. PARTICIPANTS: 739 patients with suspected stroke presenting to hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time from onset of stroke symptoms to arrival at hospital, and time from arrival to evaluation by a senior doctor. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 75 years, and 400 were women. The median delay between onset of symptoms and arrival at hospital was 6 hours (interquartile range 1 hour 48 minutes to 19 hours 12 minutes). 37% of patients arrived within 3 hours, 50% within 6 hours. The median delay for patients using the emergency service was 2 hours 3 minutes (47 minutes to 7 hours 12 minutes) compared with 7 hours 12 minutes (2 hours 5 minutes to 20 hours 37 minutes) for referrals from general practitioners (P<0.0001). Use of emergency services reduced delays to hospital (odds ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.23 to 0.61). The median time to evaluation by a senior doctor was 1 hour 9 minutes (interquartile range 33 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes) but was undertaken in only 477 (65%) patients within 3 hours of arrival. This was not influenced by age, sex, time of presentation, mode of referral, hospital type, or the presence of a stroke unit. Computed tomography was requested within 3 hours of arrival in 166 (22%) patients but undertaken in only 60 (8%). CONCLUSION: Delays in patients arriving at hospital with suspected stroke can be reduced by the increased use of emergency services. Over a third of patients arrive at hospital within three hours of stroke; their management can be improved by expediting medical evaluation and performing computed tomography early.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

Does an integrated care pathway improve processes of care in stroke rehabilitation? A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate whether integrated care pathways improve the processes of care in stroke rehabilitation. DESIGN: comparison of processes of care data collected in a randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: acute stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation randomized to receive integrated care pathways management (n=76) or conventional multidisciplinary care (n=76). MEASUREMENTS: proportion of patients meeting recommended standards for processes of care using a validated stroke audit tool. RESULTS: integrated care pathways methodology was associated with higher frequency of stroke specific assessments, notably testing for inattention (84% versus 60%; P=0.015) and nutritional assessment (74% versus 22%, P<0.001). Documentation of provision of certain information to patients/carers (89% versus 70%; P=0.024) and early discharge notification to general practitioners (80% versus 45%; P<0.001) were also more common in this group. There were no significant differences in the processes of interdisciplinary co-ordination and patient management between the integrated care pathways group and the control group. CONCLUSION: integrated care pathways may improve assessment and communication, even in specialist stroke settings.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Integrated care pathways and quality of life on a stroke rehabilitation unit.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Integrated care pathways (ICP) may not reduce disability, institutionalization, or duration of hospitalization compared with conventional multidisciplinary team (MDT) care in organized stroke rehabilitation. Their potential to improve patient heath status or satisfaction with care is not known. METHODS: A comparison of quality of life, caregiver strain, and patient/caregiver satisfaction at 6 months after stroke was undertaken in 152 stroke patients randomized to receive ICP or MDT care. Differences in processes of care were recorded with the use of a predefined schedule. Multivariate analyses were undertaken to identify the effect of age, sex, stroke severity, functional status, mood, and use of care pathway on quality of life score. RESULTS: The 2 groups were comparable for baseline characteristics of age, sex, stroke severity, and initial disability. MDT care was characterized by greater emphasis on return of higher function and caregiver needs compared with ICP. EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) scores were higher in the MDT group (median, 72 versus 63; P<0.005), who also had higher scores for EuroQol dimension of social functioning (P=0.014). Higher EQ-VAS scores were independently related to MDT care (P=0.04), Rankin score (P=0.01), and psychological function (P<0.0001) but not to age, sex, or stroke severity. There were no significant differences in patient or caregiver satisfaction between the 2 settings. CONCLUSIONS: Better quality of life in patients receiving conventional MDT care may be attributable to improved social functioning and greater attention to higher function and caregiver needs during rehabilitation.

Affect↗
PubMed2002

Randomized controlled study of stroke unit care versus stroke team care in different stroke subtypes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The benefits of stroke unit management may vary according to stroke subtype. A post hoc analysis of the influence of stroke subtype on stroke unit effectiveness was undertaken by using prospective data collected in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Two hundred sixty-seven patients with moderately severe ischemic stroke (164 with large-vessel infarcts and 103 with lacunar infarcts) were randomly allocated to treatment in stroke units or in general medical wards with specialist stroke team support. Mortality, institutionalization, neurological, functional, and quality-of-life scores and resource use were assessed at 3 and again at 12 months after stroke onset. An intention-to-treat analysis was undertaken, and logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent effect of stroke unit intervention. RESULTS: Stroke team-supported management was associated with higher mortality (odds ratio [OR] 4.9, 95% CI 1.3 to 18.6) and higher mortality or institutionalization (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 7.4) at 3 months (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.5 to 8.7) and at 1 year (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.3 to 6.2) in patients with large-vessel infarcts. In contrast, there were no significant differences in outcome in patients with lacunar strokes managed in the stroke unit or by the stroke team. In patients with lacunar strokes, stroke unit care was associated with a longer length of hospital stay (18 versus 13.5 days for stroke unit care versus stroke team care, respectively; P<0.01) and significantly greater use of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke units improve the outcome in patients with large-vessel infarcts but not in those with lacunar syndromes. For lacunar strokes, stroke unit management may be associated with higher initial health costs for equivalent benefit.

Aged↗