Publications by authors named "Prager R"

Rationale: Lung ultrasound, the most precise diagnostic tool for pleural effusions, is underutilized due to healthcare providers' limited proficiency. To address this, deep learning models can be trained to recognize pleural effusions. However, current models lack the ability to diagnose effusions in diverse clinical contexts, which presents significant challenges.

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Harvey W. Bender Jr spent his early years in Humble, Texas. After attending Baylor University College of Medicine, he trained in surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

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Study Objective: To evaluate the clinical effect, safety, and clinical outcomes of focused transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the evaluation of critically ill patients in the emergency department (ED) and ICUs.

Methods: We established a prospective, multicenter, observational registry involving adult critically ill patients in whom focused TEE was performed for evaluation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), inhospital cardiac arrest, evaluation of undifferentiated shock, hemodynamic monitoring, and/or procedural guidance in the ED, ICU, or operating room setting. The primary objective of the current investigation was to evaluate the clinical influence and safety of focused, point-of-care TEE in critically ill patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess how using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) during resuscitation affects outcomes for adult patients in shock.
  • Researchers analyzed data from various sources and included randomized controlled trials focusing on POCUS in these patients.
  • The results indicate that POCUS can moderately influence treatment decisions and may lead to reduced mortality and medication duration, but its effects on other outcomes like ICU admissions remain uncertain.
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We assessed 2 versions of the large language model (LLM) ChatGPT-versions 3.5 and 4.0-in generating appropriate, consistent, and readable recommendations on core critical care topics.

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Colloidal and nanoparticle self-assembly enables the creation of ordered structures with a variety of electronic and photonic functionalities. The outcomes of the self-assembly processes used to synthesize such structures, however, strongly depend on the uniformity of the individual nanoparticles. Here, we explore the simplest form of particle size dispersity-bidispersity-and its impact on the self-assembly process.

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Deep learning (DL) models for medical image classification frequently struggle to generalize to data from outside institutions. Additional clinical data are also rarely collected to comprehensively assess and understand model performance amongst subgroups. Following the development of a single-center model to identify the lung sliding artifact on lung ultrasound (LUS), we pursued a validation strategy using external LUS data.

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Background: Recent randomized trial data showed fewer strokes with left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) after cardiac surgery in patients with atrial fibrillation. This study developed a quality initiative to increase LAAO adoption.

Methods: Among 11,099 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) between January 2019 and March 2021 at 33 hospitals in Michigan, those patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent first-time, on-pump CABG were eligible (n = 1241).

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Purpose: Venous congestion is a pathophysiologic state that can result in organ dysfunction, particularly acute kidney injury (AKI). We sought to evaluate the feasibility of performing a definitive observational study to determine the impact of venous congestion quantified using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in patients with septic shock.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational feasibility study at two intensive care units (ICUs).

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Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become a core diagnostic tool for many physicians due to its portability, excellent safety profile, and diagnostic utility. Despite its growing use, the potential risks of POCUS use should be considered by providers. We analyzed the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) repository to identify medico-legal cases arising from the use of POCUS.

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Background: Rapid evaluation for pneumothorax is a common clinical priority. Although lung ultrasound (LUS) often is used to assess for pneumothorax, its diagnostic accuracy varies based on patient and provider factors. To enhance the performance of LUS for pulmonary pathologic features, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted imaging has been adopted; however, the diagnostic accuracy of AI-assisted LUS (AI-LUS) deployed in real time to diagnose pneumothorax remains unknown.

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The likelihood of a patient being preload responsive-a state where the cardiac output or stroke volume (SV) increases significantly in response to preload-depends on both cardiac filling and function. This relationship is described by the canonical Frank-Starling curve. : We hypothesize that a novel method for phenotyping hypoperfused patients (ie, the "Doppler Starling curve") using synchronously measured jugular venous Doppler as a marker of central venous pressure (CVP) and corrected flow time of the carotid artery (ccFT) as a surrogate for SV will refine the pretest probability of preload responsiveness/unresponsiveness.

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Article Synopsis
  • Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is essential for evaluating hemodynamically unstable patients, but there is confusion about related terms like "flow," "congestion," "fluid responsiveness," and "fluid tolerance."
  • The Frank-Starling relationship helps clarify these concepts by illustrating how congestion and flow interact on different axes.
  • To improve assessment, the authors suggest a two-step approach: first, plotting the patient's condition on an ultrasonographic Diamond-Forrester plot, and second, conducting a dynamic assessment for fluid responsiveness, such as a passive leg raise, to tailor treatment during critical illness.
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(1) Background: The inspiratory collapse of the inferior vena cava (IVC), a non-invasive surrogate for right atrial pressure, is often used to predict whether a patient will augment stroke volume (SV) in response to a preload challenge. There is a correlation between changing stroke volume (SV) and corrected flow time of the common carotid artery (ccFT). (2) Objective: We studied the relationship between IVC collapsibility and ccFT in healthy volunteers during preload challenges.

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Background: Resuscitative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an emerging POCUS modality that can be used to guide trauma resuscitation.

Methods: Trauma patients who underwent TEE within 24 h of admission from 2013 to 2022 were prospectively identified. We retrospectively analyzed resuscitative TEE reports and patient charts in duplicate.

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Background: Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care is frequently used after cardiac surgery, but the patterns and determinants of use have not been well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate determinants and outcomes associated with SNF use after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of Medicare Fee-For-Service claims linked to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons clinical data was conducted on isolated coronary artery bypass grafting patients without prior SNF use in Michigan between 2011 and 2019.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons (MSTCVS) has been running a program called Quality Collaborative (MSTCVS-QC) since 2001 to improve heart and lung surgery in Michigan.!
  • The program brings together surgeons, data managers, and researchers to meet and share ideas, working to make surgeries safer and better for patients.!
  • They also partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield for more support and allowed early-career doctors from Europe to learn alongside them, showing how important quality in surgery is not just in Michigan, but around the world.!
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Introduction: Venous congestion is a pathophysiological state where high venous pressures cause organ oedema and dysfunction. Venous congestion is associated with worse outcomes, particularly acute kidney injury (AKI), for critically ill patients. Venous congestion can be measured by Doppler ultrasound at the bedside through interrogation of the inferior vena cava (IVC), hepatic vein (HV), portal vein (PV) and intrarenal veins (IRV).

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The herein proposed Python package pflacco provides a set of numerical features to characterize single-objective continuous and constrained optimization problems. Thereby, pflacco addresses two major challenges in the area of optimization. Firstly, it provides the means to develop an understanding of a given problem instance, which is crucial for designing, selecting, or configuring optimization algorithms in general.

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Background: Acute kidney injury is common in severe malaria and is independently associated with mortality. The pathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in severe malaria remains incompletely understood. Ultrasound-based tools such as point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), ultrasound cardiac output monitors (USCOMs) and renal arterial resistive index (RRI) can be used to detect hemodynamic and renal blood flow abnormalities contributing to AKI in malaria.

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Unlabelled: Pericardial tamponade can often be diagnosed through clinical findings and echocardiography; however, the diagnosis can be aided by demonstrating the hemodynamic consequences of the effusion. We describe the use of a wearable carotid Doppler device to help diagnose and monitor pericardial tamponade.

Case Summary: A 54-year-old man developed hypotension after an endobronchial biopsy for a lung mass.

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This guideline summarizes diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, including accompanying autoimmune disorders, insulin therapy regimens and glycemic target values.

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The present article is a recommendation of the Austrian Diabetes Association for the practical use of injection therapy (GLP1-receptor agonists and insulin) in type 2 diabetes.

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