Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jul 2002
Bispectral Index in ICU: correlation with Ramsay Score on assessment of sedation level.
The assessment of sedation level in critically ill patient remains a challenge for the intensivists in order to avoid over- or under-sedation phenomena. Scoring systems commonly used still show some limitation; the introduction of Bispectral Index (an EEG parameter) could bring potential advantages in monitoring sedation. According to the reports, Bispectral Index correlates with levels of sedation on the Ramsay Scale. We report our personal experience in this topic. ⋯ The results of the study are consistent with those found in the literature on this topic of study. In fact, this study demonstrates the utility of BIS to track levels of consciousness in ICU patients while still maintaining the use of the score systems to care for ICU patients.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jul 2002
Case ReportsMonitoring of motor evoked potentials with high intensity repetitive transcranial electrical stimulation during spinal surgery.
Clinical utility of high voltage repetitive transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) was investigated in 46 patients undergoing spine surgery. ⋯ The findings suggest that intraoperative MEP monitoring is feasible method, however, its immediate prognostic value for adequacy of neuronal decompression and improvement requires further studies with larger patient population.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jul 2002
Comparative StudyActivated clotting time systems vary in precision and bias and are not interchangeable when following heparin management protocols during cardiopulmonary bypass.
Our aim was to test the hypothesis that new activated clotting time (ACT) technology, with modifications to instruments and reagents designed to detect earlier clot formation, would be associated with more precise but lower results. A secondary objective was to evaluate the potential impact of any change in ACT measurement on heparin requirements during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). ⋯ Our results support the hypothesis that the modified technology (Actalyke) is associated with more precise but lower ACT results. We estimated these lower values would lead to increased heparin dosing during CPB. The impact of this increase on bleeding after cardiac surgery with CPB is controversial and requires further study.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jul 2002
Learning about new anesthetics using a model driven, full human simulator.
New pharmacological agents are introduced into medical practice at an ever-increasing pace. Teaching how to use new medications in the clinical setting presents educational challenges and puts patients at risk. ⋯ Patient simulation is a novel method of introducing new drugs to the medical community and is perceived by anesthesia providers as a valuable addition to available teaching methods.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Apr 2002
Improving accuracy of the chemiluminescent analyser for measurement of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide in respired gas.
The aim of this study was to improve the accuracy of the chemiluminescent analyser in the measurement of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in both dry and humidified gas mixtures containing oxygen (O2) in varying concentrations. This work was performed because initial attempts to determine rate constants for the decay of NO and rates of formation of NO2 were unsuccessful. ⋯ This study indicates that for accurate analysis of NO and NO2 concentrations in airway gases a rigorous calibration of the instrument for the conditions applying in the experiment is mandatory. Once this is achieved the instrument is capable of precise analysis of both gases.