Background: Impedance spectroscopy is a non-invasive technique which can be used to monitor skin barrier function, with potential applications in early-stage pressure ulcer detection. This paper describes how changes in skin impedance, due to mechanical damage of the stratum corneum by tape stripping or applied pressure, can be straightforwardly measured using commercial electrocardiogram electrodes and a relatively low-cost impedance analyser. Two models of pressure injury were studied, an ex vivo porcine and in vivo human skin model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough thoracic surgery is understood to confer a high risk of postoperative respiratory complications, the substantial haemodynamic challenges posed are less well appreciated. This review highlights the influence of cardiovascular comorbidity on outcome, reviews the complex pathophysiological changes inherent in one-lung ventilation and lung resection, and examines their influence on cardiovascular complications and postoperative functional limitation. There is now good evidence for the presence of right ventricular dysfunction postoperatively, a finding that persists to at least 3 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFShort-term probabilistic forecasts of the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States have served as a visible and important communication channel between the scientific modeling community and both the general public and decision-makers. Forecasting models provide specific, quantitative, and evaluable predictions that inform short-term decisions such as healthcare staffing needs, school closures, and allocation of medical supplies. Starting in April 2020, the US COVID-19 Forecast Hub (https://covid19forecasthub.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has spread to populations throughout the continental United States. Most state and local governments have adopted some level of "social distancing" policy, but infections have continued to spread despite these efforts. Absent a vaccine, authorities have few other tools by which to mitigate further spread of the virus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF