Conference proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference
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Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc · Jan 2011
The impact of various backboard configurations on compression stiffness in a manikin study of CPR.
When performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) it is important that adequate back support is given to the patient in order to allow the medical practitioner to produce an appropriate technique during chest compression (CC). The current study investigates how backboard configuration (i.e., orientation and size) impact compression stiffness during CPR using a torso CPR training manikin. ⋯ The impact of backboard orientation was also found to be important with a longitudinal orientation producing an increase in compression stiffness of as much as 60.3% relative to a latitudinal orientation. Backboard configuration should be considered by clinicians when trying to achieve optimal CC performance during CPR in hospital settings.
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Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc · Jan 2011
Algorithm for quantitative 3 dimensional analysis of ECG signals improves myocardial diagnosis over cardiologists in diabetic patients.
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosis in type II diabetes (DM2) patients is difficult and ECG findings are often non-diagnostic or inconclusive. We developed computer algorithms to process standard 12-lead ECG input data for quantitative 3-dimensional (3D) analysis (my3KGTM), and hypothesized that use of the my3KGTM's array of over 100 3D-based AMI diagnostic markers may improve diagnostic accuracy for AMI in DM2 patients. ⋯ Relative to standard 12L ECG read by cardiologists, quantitative 3D ECG analysis showed significant and substantial gains in sensitivity for AMI diagnosis in DM2 patients, without loss in specificity. Sensitivity gains were particularly high in patients exhibiting NSTEMI, the most common form of AMI in DM2.
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Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc · Jan 2011
A wearable system for the seismocardiogram assessment in daily life conditions.
Seismocardiogram (SCG) is the recording of the minute body accelerations induced by the heart activity, and reflects mechanical aspects of heart contraction and blood ejection. So far, most of the available systems for the SCG assessment are designed to be used in a laboratory or in controlled behavioral and environmental conditions. In this paper we propose a modified version of a textile-based wearable device for the unobtrusive recording of ECG, respiration and accelerometric data (the MagIC system), to assess the 3d sternal SCG in daily life. ⋯ We observed that about 30 seconds of motionless behavior are sufficient for a stable estimate of the average SCG waveform, independently from the subject's posture. Since it is likely that during spontaneous behavior the subject may stay still for at least 30 seconds several times in a day, it is expected that the SCG could be repeatedly estimated and tracked over time through a prolonged data recording. These observations represent the first testing of the system in the assessment of SCG out of a laboratory environment, and open the possibility to perform SCG studies in a wide range of everyday conditions without interfering with the subject's activity tasks.
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Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc · Jan 2011
Nerve block using a navigation system and ultrasound imaging for regional anesthesia.
During the last few years, regional anesthesia using ultrasound imaging has increased dramatically in both clinical and research areas. This method provides a direct noninvasive imaging of the targeted nerve and the tissue around it in real time. Furthermore, it allows anesthetists to observe the injected anesthetics for optimal distribution. ⋯ Each test person was asked to repeat the test five times with and without navigation assistance, respectively. Thereafter, a two-sample one-tailed paired t-test with a significance level of 1% was applied to statistically analyze the difference. The results show that navigation assistance significantly improves effectiveness, safety, precision and handling of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia.
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Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc · Jan 2011
Effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) combined with robotically assisted treadmill training on the EMG profile.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is used to assist spinal cord injury patients during walking. However, FES has yet to be shown to have lasting effects on the underlying neurophysiology which lead to long-term rehabilitation. ⋯ Rats who received this FES therapy during a 2-week training period exhibited peak EMG activity during the appropriate phase of the gait cycle; whereas, rats who received stimulation which was randomly timed with respect to their motor activity exhibited no clear pattern in their EMG profile. These results from our newly developed FES system serve as a launching point for many future studies to test and understand the long-term effect of FES on spinal cord rehabilitation.