Association between heart failure severity and mobility in geriatric patients: an in-clinic study with wearable sensors

Tobias Braun; Anna Wiegard; Johanna Geritz; Clint Hansen; Kim Eng Tan; Hanna Hildesheim; Jennifer Kudelka; Corina Maetzler; Julius Welzel; Robbin Romijnders; Walter Maetzler; Philipp Bergmann

doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2022.09.010

Association between heart failure severity and mobility in geriatric patients: an in-clinic study with wearable sensors

J Geriatr Cardiol. 2022 Sep 28;19(9):660-674. doi: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2022.09.010.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Kiel University, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
² Department of Applied Health Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, Hochschule für Gesundheit (University of Applied Sciences), Gesundheitscampus 6-8, 44801 Bochum, Germany.
³ HSD Hochschule Döpfer (University of Applied Sciences), Waidmarkt 3 und 9, 50676 Cologne, Germany.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine I, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105 Kiel, Germany.

PMID: 36284678
PMCID: PMC9548060
DOI: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2022.09.010

Abstract

Background: Individuals with heart failure (HF) frequently experience limitations in mobility, but specific aspects of these limitations are not well understood. This study investigated the association of HF severity, based on the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes, with digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) and handgrip strength in older inpatients with HF.

Methods: For this explorative analysis, hospital admission and discharge data from an ongoing, prospective cohort study were used. The sample included older participants with HF and a sub-sample of heart-healthy individuals. Participants were equipped with a wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) system during mobility performance (balancing, sit-to-stand transfer, walking). We analyzed the association between 17 DMOs and HF severity with multiple linear regression models.

Results: The total sample included 61 older participants (65-97 years of age, 55.7% female). Of all DMOs, only sway path in a semi-tandem stance position (m/s²) showed a relevant association with NYHA classes (admission: β = -0.28, P = 0.09; discharge: β = -0.39, P = 0.02). Handgrip strength showed a trend towards a significant association (admission: β = -0.15, P = 0.10; discharge: β = -0.15, P = 0.19).

Conclusions: This is to our best knowledge the first analysis on the association of HF severity and IMU-based DMOs. Sway path and handgrip strength may be the most promising parameters for monitoring mobility aspects in treatment of HF.