Flow-Field Inference for Turbulent Exhale Flow Measurement.

Background: Vision-based pulmonary diagnostics present a unique approach for tracking and measuring natural breathing behaviors through remote imaging. While many existing methods correlate chest and diaphragm movements to respiratory behavior, we look at how the direct visualization of thermal CO exhale flow patterns can be tracked to directly measure expiratory flow.

Methods: In this work, we present a novel method for isolating and extracting turbulent exhale flow signals from thermal image sequences through flow-field prediction and optical flow measurement.

Access to automated external defibrillators and first responders: Associations with socioeconomic factors and income inequality at small spatial scales.

Aim: The 2021 European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guidelines recommend two automated external defibrillators (AEDs)/km and at least 10 first responders/km. We examined 1) access to AEDs and volunteer first responders in line with these guidelines and 2) its associations with socioeconomic factors and income inequality, focusing on small spatial scales.

Method: We considered data on 776 AEDs in February 2022 and 1,173 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) including 713 OHCA with app-alerted volunteer first responders from February to September 2022 in Berlin.

Association of Mechanical Energy and Power with Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Lung Resection Surgery: A Post Hoc Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trial Data.

Background: Mechanical power (MP), the rate of mechanical energy (ME) delivery, is a recently introduced unifying ventilator parameter consisting of tidal volume, airway pressures, and respiratory rates, which predicts pulmonary complications in several clinical contexts. However, ME has not been previously studied in the perioperative context, and neither parameter has been studied in the context of thoracic surgery utilizing one-lung ventilation.

Methods: The relationships between ME variables and postoperative pulmonary complications were evaluated in this post hoc analysis of data from a multicenter randomized clinical trial of lung resection surgery conducted between 2020 and 2021 (n = 1,170).

Factors Associated With Rebound Pain After Patient-controlled Epidural Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery: A Retrospective Study.

Objectives: Although patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) is an effective form of regional analgesia for abdominal surgery, some patients experience significant rebound pain after the discontinuation of PCEA. However, risk factors for rebound pain associated with PCEA in major abdominal surgery remain unknown. This study evaluated the incidence of rebound pain related to PCEA and explored potential associated risk factors.

Comparison of the contralateral oblique view with the lateral view for mid-thoracic epidural access under fluoroscopic guidance: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The fluoroscopic-guided epidural access is occasionally challenging; therefore, the contralateral oblique (CLO) view has emerged as an alternative approach. The CLO view appears to be optimal for mid-thoracic epidural access; however, evidence on its utility is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the CLO view at 60°±5° compared with the lateral (LAT) view using fluoroscopic-guided mid-thoracic epidural access.

Public Access Defibrillators and Socioeconomic Factors on the Small—Scale Spatial Level in Berlin—a Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Background: The use of a public access defibrillator (PAD) increases the probability of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). No strategies exist, however, for the optimal distribution of PADs in an urban area in order to meet existing needs and ensure equal access for all potential users. It thus seems likely that the accessibility of PADs on the spatial level varies widely as a function of living circumstances.

Preoperative hyperlactatemia and early mortality after liver transplantation: selection of important variables using random forest survival analysis.

Background: Generally, lactate levels > 2 mmol/L represent hyperlactatemia, whereas lactic acidosis is often defined as lactate > 4 mmol/L. Although hyperlactatemia is common finding in liver transplant (LT) candidates, association between lactate and organ failures with Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) is poorly studied. We searched the important variables for pre-LT hyperlactatemia and examined the impact of preoperative hyperlactatemia on early mortality after LT.

Programmed Intermittent Epidural Bolus versus Continuous Epidural Infusion in Major Upper Abdominal Surgery: A Retrospective Comparative Study.

Although recent evidence shows that the programmed intermittent epidural bolus can provide improved analgesia compared to continuous epidural infusion during labor, its usefulness in major upper abdominal surgery remains unclear. We evaluated the effect of programmed intermittent epidural bolus versus continuous epidural infusion on the consumption of postoperative rescue opioids, pain intensity, and consumption of local anesthetic by retrospective analysis of data of patients who underwent major upper abdominal surgery under ultrasound-assisted thoracic epidural analgesia between July 2018 and October 2020. The primary outcome was total opioid consumption up to 72 h after surgery.

Real-time ultrasound-guided low thoracic epidural catheter placement: technical consideration and fluoroscopic evaluation.

Background And Objective: Thoracic epidural analgesia can significantly reduce acute postoperative pain. However, thoracic epidural catheter placement is challenging. Although real-time ultrasound (US)-guided thoracic epidural catheter placement has been recently introduced, data regarding the accuracy and technical description are limited.

Functioning of peripheral Ia pathways in infants with myelomeningocele.

The goal was to examine the accessibility of Ia-proprioceptive pathways to motoneurons of leg muscles associated with gait in infants with Myelomeningocele (MMC). Participants were 15 MMC infants, ages 2-10 months. We assessed over repeated trials, the tendon reflex (T-reflex), vibration-induced inhibition of T-reflex (VIM-T-reflex), and tonic vibration-induced reflex (VIR) when computer controlled stimuli were applied to the three gait muscles of each leg.

The influence of applying additional weight to the affected leg on gait patterns during aquatic treadmill walking in people poststroke.

Unlabelled: Jung T, Lee D, Charalambous C, Vrongistinos K. The influence of applying additional weight to the affected leg on gait patterns during aquatic treadmill walking in people poststroke.

Objective: To investigate how the application of additional weights to the affected leg influences gait patterns of people poststroke during aquatic treadmill walking.