Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jan 2000
Computer assisted physiologic monitoring and stability assessment in vascular surgical patients undergoing general anesthesia--preliminary data.
Physiologic monitors present an influx of numerical data that can be overwhelming to the clinician. We combined several parameters in an effort to reduce the amount of information that must be continuously monitored including oxyhemoglobin saturation by pulse oximetry, end-tidal CO2 concentration, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate into an integrated measure--the health stability magnitude (HSM). The HSM is computed for a predetermined basal period, the reference HSM (RHSM), and recalculated continuously for comparison with the baseline value. In this study we present the HSM concept and examine changes in the HSM during abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. ⋯ The correlation between HSM and dHSM depicts changes in multiple monitored parameters that can be viewed using a single graphical representation. Projection of individual cases on the contour diagram may help the clinician to distinguish relative intraoperative stability from important events. Data reduction in this manner may guide clinical decision-making in response to unanticipated or unrecognized events.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jan 2000
Partial CO2 rebreathing indirect Fick technique for non-invasive measurement of cardiac output.
Evaluation in animals of a non-invasive and continuous cardiac output monitoring system based on partial carbon-dioxide (CO2) rebreathing indirect Fick technique. ⋯ The partial CO2 rebreathing technique for measurement of cardiac output is non-invasive, automated, and based on the well accepted Fick principle. The limits of agreement between NICO and TDco is within the recommended value for NICO to be a clinically acceptable method for cardiac output measurement. The results of this canine study show that NICO performed as well, and in some cases better, than other currently available non-invasive cardiac output techniques over a wide range of cardiac outputs.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jan 2000
ReviewHRCT imaging of airway responsiveness: effects of anesthetics.
The noninvasive imaging method, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT), has been developed in animal models and applied to humans with obstructive lung disease for assessing regional and individual airway responsiveness. The ability to directly view airway responses during provocations such as tracheal intubation in an asthmatic could greatly enhance our understanding and treatment of airway hyperresponsiveness. HRCT uses increased kilovoltage peak (kVp) and milliamperage (mAs) settings, thin slices, high spacial frequency reconstruction algorithms, and small fields of view to resolve structures as small as 200 microm. ⋯ HRCT allows direct in vivo measurement of airway responsiveness to pharmacological and physiological stress that induces bronchoconstriction or bronchodilation. Using HRCT, we are able to measure airway dilation at baseline airway tone with inhalation anesthetics, differentiate the bronchodilating properties of inhalational agents in airways with tone, assess bronchodilating agents commonly used as premedications prior to anesthesia, and measure airway heterogeneity at baseline tone and their response to a variety of stimuli. This ability of HRCT to measure airway caliber and response heterogeneity in vivo noninvasively will dramatically improve our understanding of pulmonary physiology in general and the effects of anesthetics on the airways specifically.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jan 2000
Accuracy of deadspace free ventilatory measurements for lung function testing in ventilated newborns: a simulation study.
A deadspace free method based on simultaneous ventilatory measurements in the inspiratory and expiratory limb of the ventilator circuit was compared to the conventional endotracheal method where the flow is measured between ETT and Y-Piece. The aim of our study was to find out how the arrangement of this setup affects the measuring accuracy of 1) the ventilatory and 2) the lung mechanical parameters by means of a computer simulation. ⋯ The dead space free method can be used for accurate ventilatory measurements during mechanical ventilation. However, for lung mechanic measurements in very low birth weight infants the position of the PNTs must be as short as possible.
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Pulmonary air embolism is a well-known consequence of surgery, trauma, diving, and aviation. This article reviews the physiological effects, means of detection and methods of prevention and treatment of pulmonary air embolism. The primary physiological effects are elevated pulmonary artery pressures, increased ventilation-perfusion inhomogeneity, and right ventricular failure. ⋯ Prevention measures include volume expansion, careful positioning, positive end-expiratory pressure, military anti-shock trousers, and jugular venous compression. Treatment of pulmonary air embolism includes flooding the surgical site with saline, controlling sites of air entry, repositioning the patient with the surgical site below the right atrium, aspiration of air from a central venous catheter, cessation of inhaled nitrous oxide, and resuscitation with oxygen, intravenous fluids, and inotropic agents. Some hypotheses on the effects of air in the pulmonary vasculature and investigational treatment options are discussed.