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Articles by Patrick A Coughlin in JoVE
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Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication
Natalie Vanicek1,2, Stephanie A. King2, Risha Gohil2,3, Ian C. Chetter3, Patrick A Coughlin3,4
1Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, 2Department of Sport, Health and Exercise Science, University of Hull, 3Academic Vascular Department, Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals, 4Department of Vascular Surgery, Addenbrookes Hospital
Individuals with intermittent claudication exhibit poor balance compared to healthy controls. Computerized dynamic posturography is an objective method for measuring an individual's postural responses to balance disturbances. This provides an objective reflection of the person’s ability to respond to situations under which sensory stimuli are altered and unexpected perturbations occur.
Other articles by Patrick A Coughlin on PubMed
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Nurse-led Risk Assessment/management Clinics Reduce Predicted Cardiac Morbidity and Mortality in Claudicants
Journal of Vascular Nursing : Official Publication of the Society for Peripheral Vascular Nursing.
Dec, 2008 |
Pubmed ID: 19022170 Nurse-led assessment/management of risk factors is effective in many chronic medical conditions. We aimed to evaluate whether this finding was true for patients with intermittent claudication and to analyze its impact on patient-reported quality of life and predicted mortality due to coronary heart disease. We prospectively studied a series of 78 patients (51 men; median age, 65 years [IQR: 56-74 years]), diagnosed with intermittent claudication and referred to a nurse-led risk assessment/management clinic (NLC) from a consultant-led vascular surgical clinic. The NLC used clinical care pathways to manage antiplatelet medication, smoking cessation, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes and to provide exercise advice. All patients were reassessed at a 3 months. Medication compliance, smoking status, fasting lipid profiles, blood pressure, and HbA1c were recorded. Disease-specific quality of life was assessed using King's College VascuQoL and predicted cardiac morbidity and mortality were calculated using the PROCAM and Framingham risk scores. We found that NLC enrollment produced an antiplatelet and a statin compliance of 100%, a smoking cessation rate of 17% (9 patients) and significant improvements in total cholesterol (median, 5.2-4.5 mmol/l), LDL (median, 3.1-2.5 mmol/l) and triglyceride (median, 1.7-1.4 mmol/l) levels. Significant disease-specific quality of life improvements and significant reduction in both the PROCAM (14% to 10%) and Framingham (14% to 11%) coronary risk scores were observed. Providing care at NLCs for claudicants is effective in assessing and managing risk factors, improves disease-specific quality of life and reduces predicted morbidity and mortality due to coronary heart disease.
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Computerized Dynamic Posturography in the Objective Assessment of Balance in Patients with Intermittent Claudication
Annals of Vascular Surgery.
Feb, 2011 |
Pubmed ID: 20889294 One-third of all elderly patients fall each year and impaired balance has been recognized as a specific risk factor. Intermittent claudication is common among the elderly population, affecting approximately 5% of the population over the age of 50. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to assess the prevalence of impaired balance among elderly claudicants and to assess each patient's insight into their own risk of falling. A total of 58 claudicants (45 men), median age of 70 (interquartile range = 65-73) years, underwent objective balance assessment by using computerized dynamic posturography. As compared with 195 (5%) historic controls, 24 (41%) of the claudicants demonstrated abnormal balance when the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) was used. Vestibular dysfunction occurred in 52% of the claudicants. Abnormalities including somatosensory (22%), visual function (17%), and preferential reliance on inaccurate visual cues (17%) occurred less often. Prolonged Motor Control Test latency times were uncommon (n = 13) and were in most cases evenly distributed between those with normal (n = 7) and abnormal (n = 6) composite SOT scores. There was a significant difference in history of falling between claudicants with abnormal and normal SOT scores (p = 0.003), with a higher number of patients with abnormal SOT having experienced falling in the past year. However, no correlation between fear of falling and composite SOT score was found (Spearman rank correlation, r = 0.124; p = 0.381). Impaired balance, particularly secondary to vestibular problems, is very common among claudicants and may predispose to a high incidence of falls. Claudicants with abnormal balance are more likely to have a history of falls but not a fear of falling, thus potentially rendering these patients to be at a greater risk.
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