Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Apr 2014
A novel airway device with tactile sensing capabilities for verifying correct endotracheal tube placement.
We present a new device for verifying endotracheal tube (ETT) position that uses specialized sensors intended to distinguish anatomical features of the trachea and esophagus. This device has the potential to increase the safety of resuscitation, surgery, and mechanical ventilation and decrease the morbidity, mortality, and health care costs associated with esophageal intubation and unintended extubation by potentially improving the process and maintenance of endotracheal intubation. ⋯ It is intended to detect the presence or absence of tracheal rings immediately upon inflation of the airway occlusion cuff. The initial study detailed here verifies that a prototype device can detect contours similar to tracheal rings in a tracheal model.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Apr 2014
Comparative StudyPeripheral tissue oximetry: comparing three commercial near-infrared spectroscopy oximeters on the forearm.
Estimation of regional tissue oxygenation (rStO2) by near infrared spectroscopy enables non-invasive end-organ oxygen balance monitoring and could be a valuable tool in intensive care. However, the diverse absolute values and dynamics of different devices, and overall poor repeatability of measurements are a problem. The aim of the present study is to test the hypothesis that INVOS 5100C, FORE-SIGHT and NONIN EQUANOX 7600 have similar properties concerning absolute values, repeatability, and sensitivity to changes in rStO2. ⋯ Two measures of signal-to-noise were similar among devices. This suggests that good repeatability comes at the expense of low sensitivity to changes in oxygenation. Values of rStO2 on the forearm from INVOS, NONIN and FORE-SIGTH cannot be used interchangeably.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Apr 2014
Comparative StudyElevated preoperative blood pressure predicts the intraoperative loss of SSEP neuromonitoring signals during spinal surgery.
Intraoperative neuromonitoring of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) can allow identification of evolving neurologic deficit. However, SSEP deterioration is not always associated with postoperative deficit. Transient physiologic changes, including a decrease in blood pressure (BP), can result in signal deterioration, defined as a decrease in waveform amplitude of[50 %seen without neurologic deficit. ⋯ While the presence of preoperative elevated BP predicts SSEP abnormality (p = 0.0039), a diagnosis of hypertension does not. Elevated BP, not a hypertension diagnosis, is associated with intraoperative loss of SSEP signals. This effect of elevated BP on SSEPs may be due to the larger associated intraoperative BP decline.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Apr 2014
Controlled Clinical TrialEnd-tidal versus manually-controlled low-flow anaesthesia.
During low-flow manually-controlled anaesthesia (MCA) the anaesthetist needs constantly adjust end-tidal oxygen (EtO2) and anaesthetic concentrations (EtAA) to assure an adequate and safe anaesthesia. Recently introduced anaesthetic machines can automatically maintain those variables at target values, avoiding the burden on the anaesthetist. End-tidal-controlled anaesthesia (EtCA) and MCA provided by the same anaesthetic machine under the same fresh gas flow were compared. ⋯ In MCA patients the number of manual adjustments to stabilize EtAA and EtO2 were 137 and 107, respectively; no adjustment was required in EtCA. Low-flow anaesthesia delivered with an anaesthetic machine able to automatically control EtAA and EtO2 provided the same clinical stability and avoided the continuous manual adjustment of delivered sevoflurane and oxygen concentrations. Hence, the anaesthetist could dedicate more time to the patient and operating room activities.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Feb 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialUse of a decision support system improves the management of hemodynamic and respiratory events in orthopedic patients under propofol sedation and spinal analgesia: a randomized trial.
Decision support systems (DSSs) have been successfully implemented into clinical practice offering clinical suggestions and treatment options with excellent results in various clinical settings. Although their results appeared promising, showing that DSSs can increase anesthesiologists' vigilance and patient safety during surgery, DSSs have never been used before to help anesthesiologists in identifying critical events in patients under spinal analgesia with sedation. We have developed and clinically evaluated a DSS for this specific task. ⋯ The number of critical events/h occurring and the duration of surgery were similar in both groups. The number of hypoxemia episodes was significantly less (P = 0.036) in the DSS group (0.7 ± 1.0 vs. 1.4 ± 2.2 for the Control Group). The DSS tested in this trial could help the clinician to detect and treat critical events more efficiently and in a shorter length of time.