Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Oct 2018
Observational StudyValidation of simplified postoperative nausea and vomiting intensity scale in Taiwan.
This study determined whether the Simplified Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting Impact Scale (SPONVIS), could be used to predict clinically important PONV in Taiwanese. In this prospective, observational study, SPONVIS, simplified Apfel PONV Risk Scores, post-operative anti-emetic drug use, total PONV score, and 3-month recall score for PONV were recorded from Taiwanese patients who had undergone general anesthesia and surgery. With antiemetic use and 3-month recall score as validations of clinical significance, we determined whether the elements and cut-off points used in the original SPONVIS study could be used in Taiwanese patients. ⋯ The SPONVIS cut-off points 3 and 5 were statistically significant predictors of anti-emetic drug use. However, a cut-off point of 3 had a higher OR (24.08) than a cut-off of 5 (14.26) for prediction of anti-emetic drug use. SPONVIS and both construct elements (the nausea and vomiting impact scores) are useful predictors of clinically important PONV in Taiwanese.
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Using the thyromental distance (TMD) measured based on the ultrasonographic location of the thyroid cartilage prominence as the criterion, we investigated the accuracy of TMD measurement by surface landmark identification of the thyroid cartilage prominence. Twenty-nine anesthetist resident volunteers were recruited, including 10 first-year residents, 9 second-year residents and 10 third-year residents. Each volunteer measured the other 28 volunteers' TMD. ⋯ The error rates of anesthetist residents of first-year, second-year and third-year were 34, 27, and 31%, respectively, and were not significantly different. The error of TMD measurement by surface landmark identification is often, especially for women. More clinic experience don't improve it.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Oct 2018
Comparative StudyThe pressure exerted on the tongue during intubation with simultaneous cervical spine immobilisation: a comparison between four videolaryngoscopes and the Macintosh laryngoscope-a manikin study.
Excessive pressures exerted on the tongue during intubation may be associated with serious complications and may make intubation more difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate five different intubating devices in the hands of experienced anaesthetists during simulated conditions of reduced cervical spine mobility. Forty senior anaesthetists participated in the study (female = 18, male = 22). ⋯ Their use may be associated with less complications. Furthermore, male anaesthetists exerted higher pressures on the soft tissues although this was neither statistically nor clinically significant. There was higher failed intubation rate in the male anaesthetist group.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Oct 2018
Performance of regional oxygen saturation monitoring by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in pediatric inter-hospital transports with special reference to air ambulance transports: a methodological study.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of regional oxygen saturation (rSO2) monitoring with near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during pediatric inter-hospital transports and to optimize processing of the electronically stored data. Cerebral (rSO2-C) and abdominal (rSO2-A) NIRS sensors were used during transport in air ambulance and connecting ground ambulance. Data were electronically stored by the monitor during transport, extracted and analyzed off-line after the transport. ⋯ Satisfactory noise reduction of the signal, without distortion of the underlying information, was achieved when 20-50 neighbors ("window-size") were used. The use of NIRS for measuring rSO2 in clinical studies during pediatric transport in ground and air-ambulance is feasible but hampered by unreliable values and signal interference. By applying the Savitzky-Golay algorithm, the signal-to-noise ratio was improved and enabled better post-hoc signal evaluation.