Automated Electronic Health Record-Based Tool for Identification of Patients With Metastatic Disease to Facilitate Clinical Trial Patient Ascertainment.

Purpose: To facilitate identification of clinical trial participation candidates, we developed a machine learning tool that automates the determination of a patient's metastatic status, on the basis of unstructured electronic health record (EHR) data.

Methods: This tool scans EHR documents, extracting text snippet features surrounding key words (such as metastatic, progression, and local). A regularized logistic regression model was trained and used to classify patients across five metastatic categories: highly likely and likely positive, highly likely and likely negative, and unknown.

The development of a method to measure head acceleration and motion in high-impact crashes.

Objective: To establish a mechanism to obtain precise measurements of the accelerations of the head in the high-speed racing environment and during crash impacts. The long-term goal is to apply this system to the assessment of head injury in automobile racing drivers and then in participants in other helmeted sports.

Methods: A multidisciplinary team conceptualized, designed, and successfully tested a triaxial accelerometer system capable of measuring head acceleration and motion in high-impact crashes.

Physiological responses to high-speed, open-wheel racecar driving.

Unlabelled: High-speed auto racing has been demonstrated to produce accelerated heart rate (HR) during competition. However, it has not been determined whether the increase in HR was due to physical work efforts or a result of emotional stress.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the physiological responses associated with open-wheel automobile driving at competitive speeds.

Routine daily chest radiography in patients with pulmonary artery catheters.

Background: Pulmonary artery catheters are widely used invasive monitoring devices in critically ill patients. Clinicians disagree about whether daily chest radiographs are needed or clinical parameters alone are sufficient to verify catheter placement.

Objectives: To determine whether daily chest radiographs are needed to assess migration of pulmonary artery catheters.

Unexpected findings in trauma patients dying in the intensive care unit: results of 153 consecutive autopsies.

Background: The true incidence of missed injuries in trauma-related deaths is unknown, because in only about 60% of injury-related deaths nationwide is an autopsy performed. Few studies have documented the frequency of missed diagnoses leading to deaths specifically in the trauma ICU population. We attempted to evaluate the incidence and nature of missed injuries and complications in trauma- and burn-related deaths in our ICU given an autopsy rate of close to 100%.

Oral creatine supplementation enhances upper extremity work capacity in persons with cervical-level spinal cord injury.

Objective: To examine the effects of short-term creatine monohydrate supplementation on the upper extremity work capacity of persons with cervical-level spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design study. Consists of 2 treatment phases lasting for 7 days, separated by a 21-day washout period.