The relationship between patient blood pathology values and patient falls in an acute-care setting : a retrospective analysis

Few studies have investigated the relationship between patient falls and patient blood pathology values, which can reveal objective information about the health and nutritional status of a patient. It could be that some abnormal values are associated with patients that fall. The objectives of the current study were to determine whether blood pathology values were different in patients who fell compared to patients who did not fall, and whether there was a difference in the type and number of currently documented risk factors for falls found for patients who fell compared to patients who did not fall. A retrospective audit of patient incident reports and medical records was conducted in an acute-care hospital for 220 patients who fell and who did not fall. Faller and non-faller patients were matched by casemix type and length of stay. Findings revealed a significant relationship between patients who fell and the variables of age, confusion status and alkaline phosphatase blood values.

Functional imaging to understand biomechanics : a critical tool for the study of biology, pathology and the development of pharmacological solutions

We present four case studies of the literature discussing the effects of physical forces on biological function. While the field of biomechanics has existed for many decades, it may be considered by some a poor cousin to biochemistry and other traditional fields of medical research. In these case studies, including cardiovascular and respiratory systems, we demonstrate that, in fact, many systems historically believed to be controlled by biochemistry are dominated by biomechanics. We discuss both the previous paradigms that have advanced research in these fields and the changing paradigms that will define the progressions of these fields for decades to come. In the case of biomechanical effects of flowing blood on the endothelium, this has been well understood for decades. In the cases of platelet activation and liquid clearance from the lungs during birth, these discoveries are far more recent and perhaps not as universally accepted. While only a few specific examples are examined here, it is clear that not enough attention is paid to the possible mechanical links to biological function. The continued development of these research areas, with the inclusion of physical effects, will hopefully provide new insight into disease development, progression, diagnosis and effective therapies.