The Modified-30-Seconds-Chair-Stand-Test: A Practical and Reproducible Tool to Assess Muscle Strength in Acutely Ill Hospitalized Geriatric Patients.

Abstract

Objectives: Acutely ill hospitalized geriatric patients with sarcopenia have a poor clinical outcome. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People-2 (EWGSOP-2) recommends measuring handgrip strength (HGS) or the 5-times-repeated-Chair-Stand-Test (5t-CST) to assess muscle strength. The modified-thirty-seconds-Chair-Stand-Test (m-30s-CST) is expected to be more feasible than the 5t-CST and probably a better proxy for physical function compared to HGS. The aim of the study is to test the feasibility and reliability of the m-30s-CST in these patients.

Methods: 92 patients (aged 84±6 y, mean GFI score of 6.1± 2.9, 53.5% female) participated. The m-30s-CST was performed at 3 different occasions. Feasibility was measured at admission and test-retest reliability at the day before and of discharge. Additionally Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), ADL-Barthel-Index (ADL-BI) and HGS were assessed.

Results: The m-30s-CST is a significant more feasible test compared to the 5t-CST (n=92; 76.1% versus 20.1%; P<0.001), with a intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.954 (n=59; CI-95%:0.921-0.973; P<0.001). The m-30s-CST has compared to HGS a significant better correlation with the ADL-BI and with the SPPB.

Conclusion: The m-30s-CST is a feasible and reliable method to assess muscle strength and is compared to HGS a better proxy for physical performance in geriatric patients.