title: Functional recovery in the elderly after major surgery: assessment of mobility recovery using wireless technology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hospitalization and surgery in older patients often leads to a loss of strength, mobility, and functional capacity. We tested the hypothesis that wireless accelerometry could be used to measure mobility during hospital recovery after cardiac surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used an off-the-shelf fitness monitor to measure daily mobility in patients after surgery. Data were transmitted wirelessly, aggregated, and configured onto a provider-viewable dashboard.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Wireless monitoring of mobility after major surgery was easy and practical. There was a significant relationship between the number of steps taken in the early recovery period, length of stay, and dismissal disposition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Wireless monitoring of mobility after major surgery creates an opportunity for early identification and intervention in individual patients and could serve as a tool to evaluate and improve the process of care and to affect postdischarge outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. cook.david@mayo.edu
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Jeffrey E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Sharon K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Prinsen
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dearani
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deschamps
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D020127:Recovery of Function; D059015:Wireless Technology
keywords: 18