Upper Extremity Function Assessment Using a Glove Orthosis and Virtual Reality System.

Hand motor control deficits following stroke can diminish the ability of patients to participate in daily activities. This study investigated the criterion validity of upper extremity (UE) performance measures automatically derived from sensor data during manual practice of simulated instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) within a virtual environment. A commercial glove orthosis was specially instrumented with motion tracking sensors to enable patients to interact, through functional UE movements, with a computer-generated virtual world using the SaeboVR software system.

Virtual Activities of Daily Living for Recovery of Upper Extremity Motor Function.

A study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of virtual activities of daily living (ADL) practice using the SaeboVR software system for the recovery of upper extremity (UE) motor function following stroke. The system employs Kinect sensor-based tracking to translate human UE motion into the anatomical pose of the arm of the patient's avatar within a virtual environment, creating a virtual presence within a simulated task space. Patients gain mastery of 12 different integrated activities while traversing a metaphorical "road to recovery" that includes thematically linked levels and therapist-selected difficulty settings.

Assessing upper extremity motor function in practice of virtual activities of daily living.

A study was conducted to investigate the criterion validity of measures of upper extremity (UE) motor function derived during practice of virtual activities of daily living (ADLs). Fourteen hemiparetic stroke patients employed a Virtual Occupational Therapy Assistant (VOTA), consisting of a high-fidelity virtual world and a Kinect™ sensor, in four sessions of approximately one hour in duration. An unscented Kalman Filter-based human motion tracking algorithm estimated UE joint kinematics in real-time during performance of virtual ADL activities, enabling both animation of the user's avatar and automated generation of metrics related to speed and smoothness of motion.

Influence of hemoglobin levels on inpatient rehabilitation outcomes after total knee arthroplasty.

This retrospective study examined the influence of hemoglobin (Hb) on the outcomes of 184 acute inpatient rehabilitation patients admitted to a single university-based inpatient rehabilitation facility after primary total knee arthroplasty between 2001 and 2003. Patient function was measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) instrument. Average length of stay was 9.

Relationship of initial hematocrit level to discharge destination and resource utilization after ischemic stroke: a pilot study.

Objective: To examine the association between initial hematocrit level at the time of ischemic stroke, discharge destination, and resource utilization.

Design: Case series.

Setting: University hospital.

Early assessment of post-stroke patients entering acute inpatient rehabilitation: utility of the WASI and HVLT-R.

Objective: To examine the clinical utility of two brief assessment tools, the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R). We hypothesized that these measures would predict continued need for supervision and functional outcome at discharge.

Design: In this retrospective review, 44 patients with stroke who were admitted for acute inpatient rehabilitation were measured on five variables: WASI, HVLT-R, length of stay, FIM discharge scores, and need for supervision on discharge.