Technology and health care : official journal of the European Society for Engineering and Medicine
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2013
The use of bedside electromagnetically guided nasointestinal tube for jejunal feeding of critical ill surgical patients.
Gastral nutrition in critically ill surgical patients can be difficult because of gastric paresis and a large number of patients fail to reach required caloric intake. Endoscopic or radiologic placement of nasointestinal tube is frequently performed with delay and may raise the risks for critical ill patients. ⋯ Bedside positioning of electromagnetically guided nasointestinal tube is safe and effective in critically ill surgical patients. Most placements succeed, even in patients after upper GI surgery. EGNT positioning is time saving and may enhance the caloric intake.
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2013
Amount of accidental flush by syringe pump due to inappropriate release of occluded intravenous line.
An unintended bolus is delivered by the syringe pump if intravenous line occlusion is released in an inappropriate manner. ⋯ To minimize the amount of accidentally injected medication, a smaller syringe size and a low alarm setting are important. Using a syringe pump capable of reducing the inadvertently administered bolus may be helpful.
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2013
A study into the automation of cognitive assessment tasks for delivery via the telephone: lessons for developing remote monitoring applications for the elderly.
Cognitive assessments are valuable tools in assessing neurological conditions. They are critical in measuring deficits in cognitive function in an array of neurological disorders and during the ageing process. Automation of cognitive assessments is one way to address the increasing burden on medical resources for an ever increasing ageing population. ⋯ [corrected] This study has demonstrated the functional and cognitive reliability of administering specific cognitive tests using an automated, speech driven application. This study has defined the characteristics of existing cognitive tests that are suitable for such an automated delivery system and also informs on the limitations of other cognitive tests for this modality. This study presents recommendations for developing future large scale cognitive assessments.
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2013
Hip resurfacing using a modified lateral approach with limited splitting of the gluteus medius muscle results in significant impairment of hip abductor strength.
A lateral, transgluteal approach for hip resurfacing carries the risk of approach-related weakening of the hip abductors due to unsuccessful re-adaptation of the gluteal muscles to the greater trochanter or to injury to the inferior nerve branch of the superior gluteal nerve. ⋯ Even a limited incision of the gluteus medius muscle resulted in significant impairment of hip abductor strength 2.5 years after surgery.
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialPerception of patients with alcohol use disorder and comorbid depression about the usefulness of supportive text messages.
Very little is known about the perception of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and comorbid depression about the usefulness of supportive text messages. ⋯ Patients with AUD and depression perceive that supportive text messages help them to remain abstinent from alcohol and also improve upon their mental wellbeing.