Spatio-temporal Gait Parameters in Older Patients: Comparaison of a Hospitalized Population of Fallers and Non-fallers

Abstract

Background: The prevention of falls is a major public health issue. A fall can have serious consequences in frail patients, as are most patients hospitalized in acute geriatrics department. Gait disorders are predisposing factors for falls. They are accessible to rehabilitation and can be analyzed using tools that collect spatio-temporal parameters of walking, such as the GAITRite® mat. Objective: To find differences between the spatio-temporal gait parameters in patients who fall compared to patients who do not fall in a population of older patients hospitalized in acute geriatrics department. Material and methods: In this retrospective, observational, single-center study, patients over 75 years hospitalized in acute geriatrics department were included. For each patient, spatio-temporal gait parameters were collected using the GAITrite® mat. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether or not they had a history of fall. The spatio-temporal parameters were compared between the two groups and in relation to the general population. Results: 67 patients, with an average age of 85.9 ± 6 years, were included. Seventy percent of patients had cognitive impairment and 66% required technical walking assistance. The mean Charlson score was 7.00 +/- 1.87 and a large majority of patients was polymedicated with a mean of 7.04 +/- 3.25 medications at admission. The mean walking speed was 51.4 ± 19.9 cm/s in non-fallers group, and 47.3 ± 17.7 cm/s in fallers group (p = 0.539), indicating pathological walking in comparison with the general population of the same age (average 100 cm/s). No association was found between the spatio-temporal gait parameters and fall. Conclusion: In our population of hospitalized older adults, the spatio-temporal gait parameters didn’t seem to discriminate anymore a faller from a non-faller, probably linked to many confounding factors such as the pathological gait of the entire study population and their comorbidities.Clinical Trial registration: NCT05152069.