Investigation into the mobility of elderly patients with pneumonia using triaxial accelerometer data

Kenta Kawamura; Takashi Kato; Haruka Sakai; Yukako Setaka; Yumi Hirose; Kenichi Oozone; Ikuo Aita; Kazuhide Tomita

doi:10.1298/ptr.E9977

Investigation into the mobility of elderly patients with pneumonia using triaxial accelerometer data

Phys Ther Res. 2019 Oct 10;22(2):73-80. doi: 10.1298/ptr.E9977. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Kenta Kawamura^{1

2

3}, Takashi Kato¹, Haruka Sakai¹, Yukako Setaka², Yumi Hirose⁴, Kenichi Oozone¹, Ikuo Aita¹, Kazuhide Tomita^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rehabilitation Therapy, Tsukuba Medical Center Hospital.
² Department of Physical Therapy, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences.
³ Graduate School of Health Science, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences.
⁴ Department of General Medicine, Tsukuba Medical Center Hospital.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the levels of physical activity of elderly pneumonia patients.

Method: This is a prospective observational study among pneumonia patients who were hospitalized in a clinic within a general and respiratory medicine hospital department, and community-dwelling elderly. Activity levels of 29 elderly patients with pneumonia who were aged >75 years (PP group), and 15 community-dwelling healthy elderly (CD group) were measured. Triaxial accelerometers were attached to the patients' left chest regions from 48 h until 7 days after hospitalization.

Results: The time spent in the upright position was 320.0 min/day in the PP group and 729.0 min/day in the CD group. The time spent walking was 3.8 min/day in the PP group, and 71.0 min/day in the CD group. In the PP group, the times spent in the upright position and walking did not increase during the period studied, that is, from 48 h until 7 days after hospitalization.

Conclusion: The time spent in the upright position and walking among elderly patients with pneumonia did not increase, despite gradual improvement of the disease.

Keywords: Elderly; Mobilization; Pneumonia; Triaxial accelerometer.

2019, JAPANESE PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION.