OBJECTIVES:To study the effectiveness of haloperidol prophylaxis on incidence, severity, and duration of postoperative delirium in elderly hip-surgery patients at risk for delirium. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Large medical school-affiliated general hospital in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 430 hip-surgery patients aged 70 and older at risk for postoperative delirium. INTERVENTION: Haloperidol 1.5 mg/d or placebo was started preoperatively and continued for up to 3 days postoperatively. Proactive geriatric consultation was provided for all randomized patients. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative delirium (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, and Confusion Assessment Method criteria). Secondary outcomes were the severity of delirium (Delirium Rating Scale, revised version-98 (DRS-R-98)), the duration of delirium, and the length of hospital stay. RESULTS: The overall incidence of postoperative delirium was 15.8%. The percentage of patients with postoperative delirium in the haloperidol and placebo treatment condition was 15.1% and 16.5%, respectively (relative risk 5 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5 0.6-1.3); the mean highest DRS-R-98 score AE standard deviation was 14.4 AE 3.4 and 18.4 AE 4.3, respectively (mean difference 4.0, 95% CI 5 2.0-5.8; Po.001); delirium duration was 5.4 versus 11.8 days, respectively (mean difference 6.4 days, 95% CI 5 4.0-8.0; Po.001); and the mean number of days in the hospital was 17.1 AE 11.1 and 22.6 AE 16.7, respectively (mean difference 5.5 days, 95% CI 5 1.4-2.3; Po.001). No haloperidol-related side effects were noted. CONCLUSION: Low-dose haloperidol prophylactic treatment demonstrated no efficacy in reducing the incidence of postoperative delirium. It did have a positive effect on the severity and duration of delirium. Moreover, haloperidol reduced the number of days patients stayed in the hospital, and the therapy was well tolerated.

Overall, at the group level, limitations in activities of patients with OA of the hip or knee recruited from hospitals and rehabilitation centers seem fairly stable during the first 3 years of follow-up. However, at the level of individual patients, considerable variation occurs. Prognostic factors for worsening of limitations in activities include increased pain, reduced ROM, and decreased muscle strength at 1-year follow-up; higher morbidity count; and to a lesser extent poor cognitive functioning.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of narrowing step width on mediolateral (ML) center of mass (COM) kinematics and margin of stability (MOS) in young and older adults. Fourteen young and 18 healthy older adults were asked to walk on a treadmill at preferred speed, stepping on projected lines at their predetermined preferred step width (PSW) and at a 50% narrowed step width (NSW). Linear trunk accelerations were recorded by an inertial sensor, attached at the level of the lumbar spine and foot placement was determined from force sensors in the treadmill. Mediolateral peak-to-peak COM displacement, COM velocity and MOS within strides were estimated. Mean ML-COM displacement and velocity, which were significantly higher in older compared to young adults, were significantly reduced in the NSW condition while the variability of ML-COM velocity was increased in the NSW condition. A significant interaction effect of step width and age was found for ML-COM velocity, showing larger decreases in older adults in the NSW condition. Walking with NSW reduced the ML-MOS significantly in both groups while it was smaller in the older group. Although reductions of ML-COM displacement and velocity may occur as direct mechanical effects of reduced step width, the larger variability of ML COM velocity in the older adults suggests active control of ML COM movements in response to the reduced base of support. Given the effects on MOS, narrowing step width might challenge ML-balance control and lead to less robust gait especially in older adults.