Physiological measurement
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Physiological measurement · May 2015
Variability in estimating shunt from single pulse oximetry measurements.
Virtual shunt describes the overall loss of O2 content between the alveolar gas and arterial blood. Clinicians indirectly estimate the magnitude of the virtual shunt by monitoring peripheral blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) using non-invasive pulse oximetry. An inherent limitation of this method is the variable precision of pulse oximeters and the non-linear relationship between virtual shunt and SpO2 which is rarely depicted. ⋯ Although a variable bias (1.2-2.1%) in SpO2 between the pulse oximeter brands was observed, the tested pulse oximeters were both within tolerance specified by the manufacturers and matched the probability distributions from the model. The theoretical and experimental findings show that the estimation of virtual shunt is challenging with a single SpO2 measurement using pulse oximeters with tolerances of 2%. Clinical decisions must be based on an appreciation of these limitations.
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Physiological measurement · Apr 2015
Heart rate variability and stroke volume variability to detect central hypovolemia during spontaneous breathing and supported ventilation in young, healthy volunteers.
Cardiovascular oscillations exist in many different variables and may give important diagnostic and prognostic information in patients. Variability in cardiac stroke volume (SVV) is used in clinical practice for diagnosis of hypovolemia, but currently is limited to patients on mechanical ventilation. We investigated if SVV and heart rate variability (HRV) could detect central hypovolemia in spontaneously breathing humans: We also compared cardiovascular variability during spontaneous breathing with supported mechanical ventilation. ⋯ During supported mechanical ventilation, none of the three measures of SVV changed and two of the HRV measures were reduced during hypovolemia. Neither measures of SVV nor HRV were classified as a good detector of hypovolemia. We conclude that HRV% and SVIntegral detect hypovolemia during spontaneous breathing and both are candidates for further clinical testing.
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Physiological measurement · Mar 2015
In vitro arrhythmia generation by mild hypothermia: a pitchfork bifurcation type process.
The neurological damage after cardiac arrest presents a huge challenge for hospital discharge. Therapeutic hypothermia (34 °C - 32 °C) has shown its benefits in reducing cerebral oxygen demand and improving neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest. However, it can have many adverse effects, among them cardiac arrhythmia generation which represents an important part (up to 34%, according different clinical studies). ⋯ Another transit point is found between 30 °C-33 °C, which agreed with other clinical studies that induced hypothermia after cardiac arrest should not fall below 32 °C. The process of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest can be represented by a pitchfork bifurcation type process, which could explain the different ratios of arrhythmia among the adverse effects after this therapy. This nonlinear dynamic suggests that a variable speed of cooling/rewarming, especially when passing 35 °C, would help to decrease the ratio of post-hypothermia arrhythmia and then improve the hospital output.
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Physiological measurement · Mar 2015
The effect of vascular changes on the photoplethysmographic signal at different hand elevations.
In order to further understand the contribution of venous and arterial effects to the photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal, recordings were made from 20 healthy volunteer subjects during an exercise in which the right hand was raised and lowered with reference to heart level. Red (R) and infrared (IR) PPG signals were obtained from the right index finger using a custom-made PPG processing system. Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) signals were also recorded from an adjacent fingertip. ⋯ The decrease in dc amplitude most likely corresponded to increased venous volume, while the decrease in ac PPG amplitude was due to regulatory adjustments on the arterial side in response to venous distension. Conversely, ac and dc PPG amplitudes increased on raising the arm above heart level. Morphological changes in the ac PPG signal are thought to be due to vascular resistance changes, predominately venous, as the hand position is changed.
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Peak cough flow (PCF) measurements can be used as indicators of cough effectiveness. Portable peak flow meters and spirometers have been used to measure PCF, but little is known about their accuracy compared to pneumotachograph systems. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of four portable devices (Mini-Wright and Assess peak flow meters, SpiroUSB and Microlab spirometers) in measuring PCF with a calibrated laboratory based pneumotachograph system. ⋯ Peak flow readings were on average lower by approximately 50 L min(-1) when measured using the portable devices; 95% limits of agreement spanned approximately 150 L min(-1). The findings highlight the potential for inaccuracy when using portable devices for the measurement of PCF. Depending on the measurement instrument used, absolute values of PCF reported in the literature may not be directly comparable.