Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Oct 2018
Observational StudyEvaluation of a wireless, portable, wearable multi-parameter vital signs monitor in hospitalized neurological and neurosurgical patients.
Unrecognized changes in patients' vital signs can result in preventable deaths in hospitalized patients. Few publications or studies instituting routine patient monitoring have described implementation and the setting of alarm parameters for vital signs. We wanted to determine if continuous multi-parameter patient monitoring can be accomplished with an alarm rate that is acceptable to hospital floor nurses and to compare the rate of patient deterioration events to those observed with routine vital sign monitoring. ⋯ Similar measures of comparison units did not change over the same period. Although unplanned patient deaths in the study unit were also reduced during the intervention period, this was not statistically significant. Continual, multi-parameter vital signs monitoring can be customized to reduce a high alarm rates, and may reduce rapid response team calls.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Oct 2018
Somatosensory evoked potentials after decompressive craniectomy for traumatic brain injury.
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are used for neuroprognosis after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). However decompressive craniectomy (DC), involving removal of a portion of the skull to alleviate elevated intracranial pressure, is associated with an increase in SSEP amplitude. Accordingly, SSEPs are not available for neuroprognosis over the hemisphere with DC. ⋯ For contralateral-ipsilateral montages r2 was 0.28 and for frontal pole montages r2 was 0.62. Cortical SSEP amplitudes are influenced by the presence of cortical bone as is particularly evident in frontal pole montages. Larger, longitudinal trials to assess feasibility of neuroprognosis over the hemisphere with DC in severe TBI patients are warranted.
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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.