Do high blood levels of psychoactive drugs make falls worse in people 75 and older?

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This study will enroll 400 patients aged 75 and over who are hospitalized after a fall and who take at least one psychoactive medication. Blood samples taken in the emergency room will be analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry to measure plasma concentrations of psychoactive drugs. Clinical and injury-severity data will be collected during the hospital stay by a geriatrician and used to compare the proportion of serious traumatic consequences between patients with plasma overdoses and those with concentrations in the usual therapeutic range. The study is expected to run for about three years at Caen University Hospital.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patient (male, female) aged 75 and over admitted to the emergency room for a fall and for whom hospitalization (in geriatrics or not) after going to the emergency room is planned
* Patient consuming at least one psychoactive drug from the list provided in the protocol
* Patient able to move before hospitalization with or without technical assistance
* Patient who signed the consent
* Patient subject to the social security system

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient not requiring hospitalization after going to the emergency room
* Patient having fallen for more than 12 hours before inclusion in the study (time of sampling) \[risk of excessive elimination of certain drugs with short half-lives\]
* Parkinsonian patient or patient who has fallen following a convulsive attack
* Patient with a life-threatening prognosis in the very short term (state of shock, palliative care planned from the emergency room)
* Patient in wheelchair or bedridden
* Adult under legal protection, guardianship, curators
* Patient not understanding the French language

Where it's running

• Caen University Hospital
  Caen, France Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Véronique Lelong-Boulouard, PhD
• Email: lelongboulouard-v@chu-caen.fr
• Phone: 0231063341

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Digital STEADI: A home-based digital fall prevention program for older adults

  A home-based digital program using AI-driven conversational agents tests if a guided fall-prevention exercise plan can reduce fall risk for older adults with mild cognitive impairment living independently.

  Recruiting Phase 1/2 Friendi.fi Corporation · Atlanta, Georgia · NCT07852650

• LiFE-SePBT: A Friendly Balance Program to Help Older Adults Stay Steady at Home

  We’re testing whether a light, lifestyle-based balance exercise program with small perturbations can improve balance for older adults who are at risk of falling.

  Recruiting The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Hung Hom, Kowloon · NCT07842094

• Developing post-falls management principles for care homes

  This study tests a set of principles to guide post-falls management for older adults in care homes.

  Recruiting Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust · Nottingham · NCT07818200

• Balance and gait in multiple sclerosis: linking motion data to function

  Researchers will see if precise motion measurements of balance and walking relate to everyday functional tests in adults with MS.

  Recruiting at 2 sites University of Patras · Ioannina and 1 other locations · NCT07630311

• AI-assisted fall prevention in hospital care

  This project will see if AI-driven sensor monitoring used in hospitals can help reduce patient falls and support staff who care for people at risk of falling.

  Recruiting Halmstad University · Gothenburg · NCT07503665

• Home safety modifications to prevent falls in older adults in Guangzhou

  This project will try simple home changes like anti-slip mats, better lighting, and minor hazard fixes to see if they reduce falls among community-dwelling people aged 60–80 in Guangzhou over 12 months.

  Recruiting Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention · Guangzhou, Guangdong · NCT07458958

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.