Objectives: This investigation aimed to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on treatment delays and the severity of initial disease presentation in cholesteatoma patients treated in the prepandemic and pandemic periods.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study was of patients who underwent primary surgical management of cholesteatoma between October 2018 and December 2021, split between the prepandemic (October 2018 to February 2020) and pandemic (April 2020 to December 2021) time periods. Data collected included time from referral to otology clinic visit, time of diagnosis, and time of surgical interventions.
J Imaging Inform Med
November 2024
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and cardiac function as measured by ejection fraction (EF) is an important determinant of outcomes, making accurate measurement a critical parameter in PT evaluation. Echocardiograms are commonly used for measuring EF, but human interpretation has limitations in terms of intra- and inter-observer (or reader) variance. Deep learning (DL) has driven a resurgence in machine learning, leading to advancements in medical applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZ Evid Fortbild Qual Gesundhwes
December 2024
Decision-makers consult systematic reviews and clinical guidelines to make informed coverage decisions based on the current state of evidence. Outdated recommendations in rapidly evolving areas such as lung cancer treatment, are challenging. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for good decision-making under uncertainty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFManual ventilation, most commonly with a bag-valve mask, is a form of short-term ventilation used during resuscitative efforts in emergent and out-of-hospital scenarios. However, compared to mechanical ventilation, manual ventilation is an operator-dependent skill that is less well controlled and is highly subject to providing inappropriate ventilation to the patient. This article first reviews recent manual ventilation guidelines set forth by the American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council for providing appropriate manual ventilation parameters (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHaving a family member hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) can be a stressful experience for family members, encompassing both psychological and spiritual distress. With over 5 million ICU admissions annually in the United States, it is imperative to enhance the experiences and coping mechanisms of ICU family members. In particularly challenging situations, some family members even face psychological effects known as post-intensive care syndrome-family, which includes anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are recommended to measure the impact of a health condition or intervention effectiveness as they aim to capture what is most meaningful to patients. Several PROMs are used to evaluate pelvic organ prolapse (POP)-related domains, yet the measurement properties of these instruments have not been fully explored with a rigorous analysis of the methodological quality and quality of evidence.
Objective: To conduct a systematic review reporting on the measurement properties of PROMs used for the assessment of POP-related domains in accordance with the COSMIN guidelines.
Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is a globally prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can result in pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women. Currently, there is no prophylactic vaccine.
Methods: This study examined T cell immunity in a cohort of women recently infected with CT.
Herein, a novel sulfur-doped carbon material has been synthesized via a facile and sustainable single-step pyrolysis method using lignin-sulfonate (LS), a by-product of the sulfite pulping process, as a novel carbon precursor and zinc chloride as a chemical activator. The sulfur doping process had a remarkable impact on the LS-sulfur carbon structure. Moreover, it was found that sulfur doping also had an important impact on sodium diclofenac removal from aqueous solutions due to the introduction of S-functionalities on the carbon material's surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Methamphetamine is an emerging drug threat. The disparity in cardiomyopathy-associated hospital admissions among methamphetamine users (CAHMA) over the decade remains unknown.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the trends and prevalence of CAHMA by age, sex, race, and geographical region.
Background: In the United States in 2017, there were an estimated 903,745 hospitalizations involving mechanical ventilation (MV). Complications from ventilation can result in longer hospital stays, increased risk of disability, and increased healthcare costs. It has been hypothesized that electrically pacing the diaphragm by phrenic nerve stimulation during mechanical ventilation may minimize or reverse diaphragm dysfunction, resulting in faster weaning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is on the rise worldwide, ranking as the third leading cause of atherosclerosis-related morbidity; much less is known about its trends in hospitalizations among methamphetamine and cocaine users.
Objectives: We aim to evaluate the overall trend in the prevalence of hospital admission for PAD with or without the use of stimulant abuse (methamphetamine and cocaine) across the United States. Additionally, we evaluated the PAD-related hospitalizations trend stratified by age, race, sex, and geographic location.
Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) devices are increasingly used in treating acute-on-chronic respiratory failure caused by chronic lung diseases. There are no large studies that investigated safety, efficacy, and the independent association of prognostic variables to survival that could define the role of ECCO2R devices in such patients. This multicenter, multinational, retrospective study investigated the efficacy, safety of a single ECCO2R device (Hemolung) in patients with acute on chronic respiratory failure and identified variables independently associated with intensive care unit (ICU) survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and cardiac function as measured by ejection fraction (EF) is an important determinant of outcomes, making accurate measurement a critical parameter in PT evaluation. Echocardiograms are commonly used for measuring EF, but human interpretation has limitations in terms of intra- and inter-observer (or reader) variance. Deep learning (DL) has driven a resurgence in machine learning, leading to advancements in medical applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSense of touch is essential for our interactions with external objects and fine control of hand actions. Despite extensive research on human somatosensory processing, it is still elusive how involved brain regions interact as a dynamic network in processing tactile information. Few studies probed temporal dynamics of somatosensory information flow and reported inconsistent results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review highlights advancements in extracorporeal life support (ECLS), emphasizing the critical role of standardized terminology, particularly for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in treating right ventricular and respiratory failure. Advocating for the adoption of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Maastricht Treaty for ECLS Nomenclature guidelines, it aims to resolve communication barriers in the ECMO field. Focusing on venopulmonary (VP) ECMO utilizing central pulmonary artery (PA) access, this review details surgical approaches and introduces a terminology guide to support effective knowledge exchange and advancements in patient care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To examine trends in utilization and outcomes among patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring prolonged venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) support.
Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.
Setting: Adult patients in the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry.