Technology and health care : official journal of the European Society for Engineering and Medicine
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of robot-assisted therapy on upper extremity function and activities of daily living in hemiplegic patients: A single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial.
Many robots can induce passive movements and passive resistance movements to facilitate recovery of upper-extremity function, but it is rare to find robots that can also enable active resistance movements. ⋯ The findings from this study showed that combining robot-assisted therapy with general occupational therapy may enhance upper-extremity function and the ability to perform ADL in patients with stroke-induced hemiplegia compared to those obtained with general occupational therapy alone.
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2018
Observational StudyTransfusions increase complications and infections after hip and knee arthroplasty: An analysis of 2760 cases.
Knee and hip replacement surgery are still the mainstay therapy for osteoarthritis. In spite of the improvement of techniques and implants, anemia is a relatively common complication, with transfusion rates of up to 23% in some centers. ⋯ The complication rate is higher in transfused patients. The number of complications rises linearly with the number of transfusions. Infection rate is also higher after a transfusion. Efforts should be made to reduce the transfusion rate.
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2018
Operating room scheduling and surgeon assignment problem under surgery durations uncertainty.
Scientific management methods are urgently needed to balance the demand and supply of heath care services in Chinese hospitals. Operating theatre is the bottleneck and costliest department. Therefore, the surgery scheduling is crucial to hospital management. ⋯ Real-life constraints and duration uncertainty were considered in the study, and the model was also very applicable in practice. Average overtime of each OR was reducing and tending to be stable with the number of surgeons increasing, which is a discipline for OR management.
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2018
Observational StudyAnterior-posterior displacement of center of pressure measured by insole foot pressure measurement system in subacute recovery stage of post-stroke hemiplegia.
Anterior-posterior displacement of center of pressure (AP_CoP) reflects stance limb function. However, AP_CoP's clinical applicability in post-stroke hemiplegia is unclear. ⋯ AP_CoP reflects overall gait function, impairments in more affected side and adaptation in less affected side in subacute recovery stage of post-stroke hemiplegia. It can be used as a clinically significant parameter for gait rehabilitation.
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Technol Health Care · Jan 2018
Hypothermia does not influence liver damage and function in a porcine polytrauma model.
Previous studies revealed evidence that induced hypothermia attenuates ischemic organ injuries after severe trauma. In the present study, the effect of hypothermia on liver damage was investigated in a porcine long term model of multi-system injury, consisting of blunt chest trauma, penetrating abdominal trauma, musculoskeletal injury, and hemorrhagic shockMETHODS: In 30 pigs, a standardized polytrauma including blunt chest trauma, penetrating abdominal trauma, musculoskeletal injury, and hemorrhagic shock of 45% of total blood volume was induced. Following trauma, hypothermia of 33∘C was induced for 12 h and intensive care treatment was evaluated for 48 h. As outcome parameters, we assessed liver function and serum transaminase levels as well as a histopathological analysis of tissue samples. A further 10 animals served as controls. ⋯ Induction of hypothermia could not significantly improve hepatic damage during the first 48 h following major trauma. Further studies focusing on multi-organ failure including a longer observation period are required to illuminate the impact of hypothermia on hepatic function in multiple trauma patients.