Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Feb 2022
Efficacy of continuous monitoring of maternal temperature during labor using wireless axillary sensors.
Neonatal early onset sepsis (EOS) occurs in 0.5-0.8/1000 live births and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Its presenting signs in newborns are non-specific, so risk assessment before birth is essential. Maternal fever during labor is the strongest predictor of EOS, but the current standard is for infrequent manual determinations of temperature. ⋯ Manual measurements missed 32 fevers > 38 °C and 13 fevers > 38.5 °C that were identified by continuous. Continuous measurement of maternal temperature for the duration of labor is practical and accurate. It may be more sensitive for identifying infants at risk for EOS than the current practice, enabling earlier and more effective targeted treatment of affected infants.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Feb 2022
LetterPressure monitoring devices may undetect epidural space: a report on the use of Compuflo® system for epidural injection.
Lumbar epidural infiltration (EI) is a feasible procedure performed in pain therapy. Even though epidural analgesia is widely applied, it remains a blind technique, based on the operator's hand sensations, and it is associated with significant failure rate and several potential complications. Compuflo® (Compuflo, Milestone Scientific, Livingston, NJ) is a computerized injection pump which precisely detects the real time pressure at the tip of a Tuohy needle when placed in human tissues, thanks to a continuous fluid path. In our institution, we usually perform EI for chronic back pain guided by the Compuflo device, especially for expected difficult procedures. ⋯ In conclusion, we consider the epidural pressure monitoring device Compuflo as a tool which may be able to ease the correct positioning of an epidural needle. The percentage of 10% false negative identifications of the epidural space in our case series however suggests more investigations on adequate or specific settings for this epidural system. In the meantime, in chronic pain patients, this anesthetic technique should only be used by experienced hands.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Feb 2022
Modeling acid-base balance during continuous kidney replacement therapy.
Clinical studies have suggested that use of bicarbonate-containing substitution and dialysis fluids during continuous kidney replacement therapy may result in excessive increases in the carbon dioxide concentration of blood; however, the technical parameters governing such changes are unclear. The current work used a mathematical model of acid-base chemistry of blood to predict its composition within and exiting the extracorporeal circuit during continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) and continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF). Model predictions showed that a total substitution fluid infusion rate of 2 L/h (33% predilution) with a bicarbonate concentration of 32 mEq/L during CVVH at a blood flow rate of 200 mL/min resulted in only modest increases in plasma bicarbonate concentration by 2.0 mEq/L and partial pressure of dissolved carbon dioxide by 4.4 mmHg in blood exiting the extracorporeal circuit. ⋯ The changes in plasma acid-base levels were larger with a higher infusion rate of substitution fluid but smaller with a higher blood flow rate or use of substitution fluid with a lower bicarbonate concentration (22 mEq/L). Under comparable flow conditions and substitution fluid composition, model predicted changes in acid-base levels during CVVHDF were similar, but smaller, than those during CVVH. The described mathematical model can predict the effect of operating conditions on acid-base balance within and exiting the extracorporeal circuit during continuous kidney replacement therapy.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Feb 2022
Accuracy of a battery-powered portable capnometer in premature infants.
Carbon dioxide measurement is useful for confirmation of successful tracheal intubation and ensuring adequate ventilation. There are two types of CO2 detectors, i.e., single-use-only colorimetric devices and capnometers. Although portable capnometers are widely used for resuscitation, there have been no reports regarding their clinical utility in neonates. ⋯ Therefore, PetCO2 readings obtained with a battery-powered portable capnometer were likely to be underestimated. This became more pronounced with decreasing infant body weight at examination as the net difference in measurements of PaCO2 and PetCO2 was significantly positively correlated with infant body weight at examination (r = 0.451, P < 0.001). The observations presented here may be helpful in the use of battery-powered portable capnometers in neonates requiring controlled ventilation with tracheal intubation.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Feb 2022
Influence of hemorrhage and subsequent fluid resuscitation on transcranial motor-evoked potentials under desflurane anesthesia in a swine model.
Hemorrhage increases the effect of propofol and could contribute to false-positive transcranial motor-evoked potential (TcMEP) responses under total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA). We investigated the influence of hemorrhage and subsequent fluid resuscitation on TcMEPs under desflurane anesthesia. ⋯ TcMEP amplitudes decrease during hemorrhage under desflurane anesthesia. This phenomenon might result from an enhanced effect of desflurane on the spinal motor pathway without increasing the desflurane concentration.