Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2016
Estimation of extravascular lung water using the transpulmonary ultrasound dilution (TPUD) method: a validation study in neonatal lambs.
Increased extravascular lung water (EVLW) may contribute to respiratory failure in neonates. Accurate measurement of EVLW in these patients is limited due to the lack of bedside methods. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the reliability of the transpulmonary ultrasound dilution (TPUD) technique as a possible method for estimating EVLW in a neonatal animal model. ⋯ The accuracy of EVLWItpud was good compared to the gold standard gravimetric method but the TPUD lacked precision in its current prototype. Based on these limited data, we believe that TPUD has potential for future use to estimate EVLW after adaptation of the algorithm. Larger studies are needed to support our findings.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2016
Sensor fusion methods for reducing false alarms in heart rate monitoring.
Automatic patient monitoring is an essential resource in hospitals for good health care management. While alarms caused by abnormal physiological conditions are important for the delivery of fast treatment, they can be also a source of unnecessary noise because of false alarms caused by electromagnetic interference or motion artifacts. One significant source of false alarms is related to heart rate, which is triggered when the heart rhythm of the patient is too fast or too slow. ⋯ Twenty recordings selected from the MIMIC database were used to validate the system. The results showed that neural networks fusion had the best false alarm reduction of 92.5 %, while the Bayesian technique had a reduction of 84.3 %, fuzzy logic 80.6 %, majority voter 72.5 % and the heart rate variability index 67.5 %. Therefore, the proposed algorithms showed good performance and could be useful in bedside monitors.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2016
Comparative StudyPerformance of computer simulated inhalational anesthetic uptake model in comparison with real time isoflurane concentration.
Gas Man software was developed to enhance our understanding of the pharmacokinetics of inhalational anaesthetics. To date the Gas Man software has not been validated in humans. In this study we compared the Gas Man software with real time measured end tidal isoflurane concentrations while using a semi closed circle system in anesthetised patients. ⋯ The end-tidal concentration values of isoflurane in real patients are very close to those predicted by Gas Man software. The pharmocokinetics of inhalational anesthetic administration in patients can be taught accurately using Gas Man technology. This technology may also help in developing different kinetic models of inhalational agents in the body.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2016
Case ReportsUltrasound-guided spinal anesthesia for cesarean section in a parturient with spinal metastases.
Preprocedural spinal ultrasound appears to decrease the failure rate and complications of neuraxial anesthesia compared to the conventional landmark technique. It is especially beneficial in difficult cases where conventional palpation technique may fail. ⋯ We used spinal ultrasound to define the appropriate intervertebral space and measure the distance to the ligamentum flavum-dura mater complex. This greatly helped in administering a safe spinal anesthetic and avoiding general anesthesia which might have been hazardous in this patient.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Dec 2016
Low intraoperative heart rate volatility is associated with early postoperative mortality in general surgical patients: a retrospective case-control study.
Heart rate volatility (HRVO) is hypothesized to be a physiological measure of sympathetic activity and is defined by the standard deviation (SD) of the heart rate (HR) in beats per minutes (BPM) over fixed time intervals. To investigate the relationship between low HRVO (SD < 0.5 BPM) during surgical procedures and mortality within 48 h post-procedure. We retrospectively reviewed all adult general surgical procedures performed at our center from January 1, 2003 through July 1, 2013 to identify patients who died within 48 h post-procedure. ⋯ Patients who died had a 39 % increase in frequency of low HRVO episodes compared to patients who survived (RR 1.39, 95 % CI 1.13-1.72; p = 0.003). Low HRVO during surgical procedure is associated with increased mortality risk within 48 h after procedure. Strategies to identify HRVO early and modify it may lead to improvement in outcomes.