The benefit of rehabilitation in elderly patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for treatment of severe aortic stenosis is unknown. The impact of declining rehabilitation programs on mortality has also not been described. In a longitudinal cohort study of 1056 patients undergoing elective TAVI between 2008 and 2016, logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between treatment modality and outcome according to whether or not patients participated in a three-week rehabilitation program after TAVI. Subgroup analyses included patient outcome separated according to cardiac, geriatric, or no rehabilitation. A total of 1017 patients survived until hospital discharge (96.3%) and were offered rehabilitation, 366 patients (36.0%) declined to undergo rehabilitation, with the remaining patients undergoing either cardiac (n = 435; 42.8%) or geriatric rehabilitation (n = 216; 21.2%). Mortality at six months was lower for patients receiving rehabilitation compared with those who had not (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 0.49; 95% confidence interval (confidence interval [CI]: 0.25–0.94; p = 0.032). Sub-analysis showed the benefit of cardiac (adjusted OR: 0.31; 95% CI 0.14–0.71, p = 0.006), but not geriatric rehabilitation (adjusted OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.37–1.85, p = 0.65). A program of rehabilitation after TAVI has the potential to reduce mortality. Future studies should focus on health-orientated behavior and identifying risk factors for declining rehabilitation programs.

Background Rates of sleep disturbances vary widely across pediatric cancer studies, partly due to differences in measurement tools. Patient‐reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) offers a rigorously developed, well‐validated pair of pediatric sleep health instruments needed to advance sleep research and clinical practice in pediatric cancer. The current study evaluated the clinical validity of PROMIS pediatric sleep scales (sleep disturbances [SD] and sleep‐related impairment [SRI]) among children in active cancer treatment. Procedure Caregiver‐patient dyads were enrolled during cancer treatment in 2‐12 months after diagnosis: 45 children (ages 8‐17 years) and 102 caregivers of children (ages 5‐17 years) completed PROMIS SD and SRI 8‐item short form self‐report or caregiver‐proxy scales, and caregivers reported the prior week's cancer treatments and blood counts. Results Both scales demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability across reporters. SD and SRI were higher than the PROMIS general population calibration sample for caregivers and patients. Oncology caregivers reported lower SD and SRI than sleep clinic caregivers, but oncology patients were similar to sleep clinic patients. Convergent validity was evidenced through moderate correlations between scales by reporter and both scales being significantly higher in patients taking medications for sleep. There were no significant differences in SD or SRI by diagnostic group, receiving radiation, or having low blood counts. Conclusion The PROMIS SD and SRI short forms are promising measures for pediatric oncology, demonstrating strong internal consistency reliability and multiple indications of clinical validity. Although groups did not differ based on treatment variables, results suggest the need for universal screening for sleep problems during pediatric cancer treatment.

Objective Sleep hygiene recommendations are commonly given to address patient‐reported concerns about sleep, yet few studies have examined the relationship between sleep hygiene and sleep disturbances in the context of pediatric oncology. Because poor sleep may affect the patient's experience of cancer‐related symptoms, understanding whether sleep hygiene practices influence sleep disturbances and symptoms may be important to improving symptom burden. Methods One hundred and two caregivers of children ages 5–17 and 59 patients ages 8–17 receiving treatment for cancer completed parallel measures of child sleep, sleep hygiene, pain, fatigue, and nausea. Sleep hygiene practices were described, correlates between measures were examined, and the indirect relationship of sleep hygiene on symptom burden through sleep disturbances was tested using PROCESS. Results Patients received adequate sleep for age but sleep timing was later than recommended for more than half of the sample and consistency in sleep times was poor. Sleep disturbances were moderately related to all symptoms, with the exception of patient‐reported fatigue. Consistent sleep habits were indirectly related to fewer cancer‐related symptoms of pain, fatigue, and nausea through sleep disturbances by caregiver report but not patient report. Conclusion Sleep disturbances are closely related to pain, fatigue, and nausea in pediatric cancer. Consistency in sleep/wake routines and schedules may be important to experiencing fewer sleep disturbances and lower symptom burden. Providing recommendations supporting consistent sleep habits broadly across pediatric oncology may be more effective than only presenting sleep hygiene recommendations to patients experiencing poor sleep.

Background The majority of breast cancer patients suffer from persistent impairments after completion of their primary oncological therapy. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in particular is a multidimensional syndrome having a profound negative impact on the quality of life. To counter CRF symptoms, physical activities are suggested as first-line interventions, mind-body therapies have been shown to be effective, and music therapy can also reduce anxiety and stress in breast cancer patients. Tango therapy that combines various elements can have an impact on physical, psychological, and cognitive abilities and could therefore have a beneficial effect on breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a 6-week tango module is suited as a therapeutic approach for people after primary breast cancer therapy to favorably influence their quality of life, especially CRF levels. Methods Sixty patients with a diagnosis for stage I–III breast cancer 12–48 months before enrollment and with CRF (age > 18) will be recruited and randomized 1:1 to a tango or a waiting-list group. Movement concepts using elements of Argentine tango (self-awareness, musical and spatial perception, self-perception, playfulness, shared experience) will be examined with the participants during six consecutive weekly 1-h tango sessions. The primary outcome will be the improvement of CRF (German version of the Cancer Fatigue Scale), and the secondary outcomes will be the improvement in sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and quality of life (EORTC-QLQ-C30). Patient-reported outcomes will be measured at baseline and 6 weeks later; follow-up will be performed 6, 12, and 24 months after baseline. An evaluation will be performed by means of descriptive data analyses. Discussion Argentine tango, as a music-based movement therapy, can influence different skills and may improve several outcomes. The therapeutic use of Argentine tango in the care of breast cancer patients has not yet been reported. It is anticipated that participants receiving the tango module will have improved CRF, sleep, and quality of life scores compared to a waitlist control. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS) DRKS00021601. Retrospectively registered on 21 August 2020