[Assessment of vital activity in geriatric patients]

17 parameters of vital activity (VA) were scanned in 35 female and 12 male dependent geriatric patients (mean age 81). These included mental testing, Barthel score, lung function, urinanalysis, creatinine clearance, Hb, albumin, globulin and electrolytes, skin-folds, locomotion, presence of IHD, hemodynamic state, continence, infections, WBC and lymphocyte count, pressure sores and dysphagia, 4 main templates of VA deterioration identified were: IHD, hemisyndrome (due to CVA), vegetative state (post-CVA) and senile dementia (SDAT). The IHD template was characterized by marked variations in VA, ending in death due to cardiac complications (pulmonary edema, ischemia, etc.). In the 3 other templates VA gradually deteriorated. Gradual declining VA allowed assessment of individual mortality prognosis. Assessment was by approximation of the computed exponent of the extrapolated VA curves; the longer the observation, the fewer the mistakes in assessment. Epidemiologic prognosis data of 48 dependent patients is described; mean age was about 81 years. Hospitalization mean was 853.5 +/- 601 days and for patients with dementia, 1158.6 +/- 622.7 days.