A Short-term Mixed Exercise for Sarcopenic Hospitalized Aged 80+ Years

Effectiveness of a Short-term Mixed Exercise Program for Treating Sarcopenia in Hospitalized Patients Aged 80 Years and Older

Most previous clinical trials that addressed exercise for sarcopenic elderly subjects focused on community-dwelling older adults who were relatively healthy. There is a notable paucity of high-quality research investigating the effects and feasibility of exercise for hospitalized or institutionalized older people, who are generally frailer and more severe in functional impairment than those living in the community. Moreover, most reported exercise programs were of long-term duration, which typically lasted 3 to 6 months with two sessions per week. It remains unclear whether short-term exercise would be effective for treating sarcopenia. Therefore, the investigators aimed to assess the effectiveness of short-term exercise for treating sarcopenia in hospitalized older patients aged 80 years and over.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. aged ≥80 years;
2. being able to ambulate (assistance was acceptable);
3. being able to communicate and collaborate with the physiotherapist;
4. with sarcopenia defined by the AWGS criteria ;

Exclusion Criteria:

1. terminal illness;
2. uncontrolled heart failure;
3. myocardial infarction within the past three months;
4. uncontrolled respiratory failure;
5. bone fractures within the past three months;
6. acute pulmonary embolism;
7. major surgery within the past three months;
8. uncontrolled arrhythmia;
9. refusal to participate in this study.