Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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The Hb-Quick is a new portable hemoglobinometer that uses disposable cuvettes to measure the total hemoglobin concentration of capillary, venous, or arterial blood. Therefore, the objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate the performance of this compact, battery-powered hemoglobinometer by assessing its precision, accuracy, and linearity, 2) to determine whether its measurements suffer from interference by hemolysis, bilirubin, fetal hemoglobin, or hemodilution, and 3) to establish whether it can easily be used by clinical personnel with little or no laboratory training. ⋯ The new hemoglobinometer is fast and easy to operate. No sample preparation or pipetting is required. To operate the instrument, the user simply allows a drop of blood to fill the disposable cuvette by capillary action and inserts the cuvette into the instrument. The instrument analyzes the 10 microl sample and displays the results in less than 10 seconds. The interference caused by hemolysis, hemodilution with saline, fetal hemoglobin, and bilirubin were too small to be of any dinical importance. Tests in physician's offices indicated that clinical personnel with little or no formal laboratory training could successfully use this device. The observed precision, accuracy, linearity, and freedom from interference indicate that this hemoglobinometer is suitable for near-patient testing in a wide range of clinical settings including physicians' offices.
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J Clin Monit Comput · May 1999
Inter observer variability of the transcranial Doppler ultrasound technique: impact of lack of practice on the accuracy of measurement.
Published data on the observer variability with the transcranial doppler (TCD) ultrasound are limited by the use of the product moment correlation coefficient. This study was designed to quantify the intra and inter observer variability with the TCD in terms of the intra class correlation coefficient (ICC) and to assess the impact of lack of practice on the observer variability and the accuracy of data generated. ⋯ A high level of observer agreement is possible with the TCD for measurement of cerebral blood flow velocities. Lack of regular practice with the system reduces the accuracy of measurements and impacts on both measured and calculated indices.
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To design and evaluate a clinical monitor of respiratory drive (P0.1) and other respiratory variables in a simple way, using a commercial ventilator. ⋯ At rest, the ventilator introduced a minor influence on inspiratory time and P0.1, but not in ventilation, tidal volume, expiratory duration and respiratory frequency. During exercise, the influence was more evident. This effect could also be noticed in the coefficients of variation. The responses to mechanical loads were easily recorded and can be used as a simple test of central load-compensating mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS. The ventilator, with limitations, may be an alternative to conventional techniques, especially in clinical studies of the central inspiratory activity with and without respiratory loading.
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J Clin Monit Comput · May 1999
Problem-based learning in residency education: a novel implementation using a simulator.
We developed a problem-based learning exercise with a full-scale human patient simulator to teach residents the emergency management and differential diagnosis of acute intraoperative hypotension. ⋯ Exercises on a full-scale patient simulator are a natural extension of problem-based learning. Recent research in learning theory provides the rationale for this teaching modality's potential as a learning tool.
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J Clin Monit Comput · May 1999
Point-of-care and standard laboratory coagulation testing during cardiovascular surgery: balancing reliability and timeliness.
The use of point-of-care technology has increased faster than efforts to validate its effectiveness compared to standard laboratory testing modalities. To address this issue with a current point-of-care coagulation system (HEMOCHRON Jr, International Technidyne Corporation (ITC), Edison, NJ), we designed a study to test the hypothesis that data obtained from point-of-care coagulation equipment correlates with data obtained from standard laboratory coagulation equipment. One of the potential advantages gained using point-of-care testing is the ability to obtain more rapid results. To address this issue, turnaround time, defined as the elapsed time (in minutes) from when the sample was acquired from the patient until the investigators knew the results, was also determined. ⋯ The results from this study population reveal that data obtained from point-of-care prothrombin time, international normalized ratio and activated partial thromboplastin time results correlate with results obtained from standard laboratory coagulation testing. The value of obtaining reliable results in a timely fashion offers a potential advantage for point-of-care testing in dinical situations, such as in the operating room, where saving time may translate into financial savings.