Effects of Image Quality on the Accuracy Human Pose Estimation and Detection of Eye Lid Opening/Closing Using Openpose and DLib.

Objective: The application of computer models in continuous patient activity monitoring using video cameras is complicated by the capture of images of varying qualities due to poor lighting conditions and lower image resolutions. Insufficient literature has assessed the effects of image resolution, color depth, noise level, and low light on the inference of eye opening and closing and body landmarks from digital images.

Method: This study systematically assessed the effects of varying image resolutions (from 100 × 100 pixels to 20 × 20 pixels at an interval of 10 pixels), lighting conditions (from 42 to 2 lux with an interval of 2 lux), color-depths (from 16.

Platelet Biomarkers in Patients with Atherosclerotic Extracranial Carotid Artery Stenosis: A Systematic Review.

Objective: The aim was to enhance understanding of the role of platelet biomarkers in the pathogenesis of vascular events and risk stratifying patients with asymptomatic or symptomatic atherosclerotic carotid stenosis.

Data Sources: Systematic review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.

Review Methods: A systematic review collated data from 1975 to 2020 on ex vivo platelet activation and platelet function/reactivity in patients with atherosclerotic carotid stenosis.

Antifibrinolytics and cardiac surgery: The past, the present, and the future.

Cardiac surgery is usually associated with significant blood loss, which often necessitates blood transfusion. In order to decrease the risks associated with the latter, pharmacological as well as nonpharmacological strategies have been used to reduce blood loss. Among the pharmacological approaches, antifibrinolytic drugs are the mainstay.

Antinausea Protocol Reduces Hospital Length of Stay for Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication.

Objective: The perioperative course of patients undergoing laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) was reviewed to determine whether the use of a new treatment protocol consisting of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) plus triple antiemetic therapy was associated with shorter hospital length of stay (HLOS).

Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Single academic center.

Comparison of the efficacy of two doses of dexmedetomidine in attenuating the hemodynamic response to intubation in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery: A randomized double-blinded study.

Background And Aims: Transient tachycardia and hypertension associated with laryngoscopy and intubation may be hazardous to patients presenting for cardiac surgery. The α 2 agonist dexmedetomidine may blunt this stress response, but the optimal dose which will accomplish this without causing hypotension and bradycardia is not well established. The primary objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of two doses of dexmedetomidine (0.

The Safety and Feasibility of Transesophageal Echocardiography in Patients With Esophageal Stricture.

Objectives: Expert guidelines consistently list esophageal stricture (ES) as a contraindication to the performance of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), although anecdotally the authors are aware of patients with ES undergoing TEE without apparent complication. Therefore the authors sought to determine the outcomes of patients with ES who had undergone TEE at their institution.

Design: Single-center, retrospective review.

Severe hypophosphataemia: a rare cause of postoperative muscle weakness.

We report a case of severe generalised muscle weakness in a 66-year-old man who underwent revision of left knee arthroplasty. On postoperative day 1, he developed non-focal muscle weakness and shortness of breath which progressed over a 6-hour period. Serum phosphorus level was severely low at 0.

Adapting the Surgical Apgar Score for Perioperative Outcome Prediction in Liver Transplantation: A Retrospective Study.

Background: The surgical Apgar score (SAS) is a 10-point scale using the lowest heart rate, lowest mean arterial pressure, and estimated blood loss (EBL) during surgery to predict postoperative outcomes. The SAS has not yet been validated in liver transplantation patients, because typical blood loss usually exceeds the highest EBL category. Our primary aim was to develop a modified SAS for liver transplant (SAS-LT) by replacing the EBL parameter with volume of red cells transfused.

Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes Associated with Perioperative Transfusion-associated Circulatory Overload.

Background: Transfusion-associated circulatory overload remains underappreciated in the perioperative environment. The authors aimed to characterize risk factors for perioperative transfusion-associated circulatory overload and better understand its impact on patient-important outcomes.

Methods: In this case-control study, 163 adults undergoing noncardiac surgery who developed perioperative transfusion-associated circulatory overload were matched with 726 transfused controls who did not develop respiratory complications.

Hospital Rating Systems and Implications For Patient Travel to Better-rated Hospitals.

Publicly reported hospital ratings aim to encourage transparency, spur quality improvement, and empower patient choice. Travel burdens may limit patient choice, particularly for older adults (aged 65 years and more) who receive most medical care. For 3 major hospital ratings systems, we estimated travel burden as the additional 1-way travel distance to receive care at a better-rated hospital.

Comparison of levosimendan and nitroglycerine in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: Levosimendan a calcium ion sensitizer improves both systolic and diastolic functions. This novel lusitropic drug has predictable antiischemic properties which are mediated via the opening of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channels. This action of levosimendan is beneficial in cardiac surgical patients as it improves myocardial contractility, decreases systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and increases cardiac index (CI) and is thought to be cardioprotective.

Definitive airway management of patients presenting with a pre-hospital inserted King LT(S)-D laryngeal tube airway: a historical cohort study.

Purpose: The King LT(S)-D laryngeal tube (King LT) has gained popularity as a bridge airway for pre-hospital airway management. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the use of the King LT and its associated airway outcomes at a single Level 1 trauma centre.

Methods: The data on all adult patients presenting to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota with a King LT in situ from July 1, 2007 to October 10, 2012 were retrospectively evaluated.

Effect of Levosimendan on Diastolic Function in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Comparative Study.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of levosimendan with nitroglycerin in patients with isolated diastolic dysfunction undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Procedure: Thirty patients with isolated diastolic dysfunction undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting were randomized into 2 groups receiving levosimendan or nitroglycerin infusion. The infusion was started before sternotomy and continued in the postoperative period.

Anesthesia Care Transitions and Risk of Postoperative Complications.

Background: A patient undergoing surgery may receive anesthesia care from several anesthesia providers. The safety of anesthesia care transitions has not been evaluated. Using unconditional and conditional multivariable logistic regression models, we tested whether the number of attending anesthesiologists involved in an operation was associated with postoperative complications.

Characterizing the epidemiology of perioperative transfusion-associated circulatory overload.

Background: Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) is a leading cause of transfusion-related fatalities, but its incidence and associated patient and transfusion characteristics are poorly understood. To inform surgical transfusion practice and to begin mitigating perioperative TACO, the authors aimed to define its epidemiology.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the medical records of adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgery with general anesthesia during 2004 or 2011 and receiving intraoperative transfusions were screened using an electronic algorithm for identification of TACO.

Characterizing the epidemiology of postoperative transfusion-related acute lung injury.

Background: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is the leading cause of transfusion-related death in the United States; however, it remains poorly characterized in surgical populations. To better inform perioperative transfusion practice, and to help mitigate perioperative TRALI, the authors aimed to better define its epidemiology before and after TRALI mitigation strategies were introduced.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined outcomes of adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgery with general anesthesia who received intraoperative transfusions during 2004 (n = 1,817) and 2011 (n = 1,562).

Improving operating room productivity via parallel anesthesia processing.

Purpose: Parallel processing of regional anesthesia may improve operating room (OR) efficiency in patients undergoes upper extremity surgical procedures. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether performing regional anesthesia outside the OR in parallel increases total cases per day, improve efficiency and productivity.

Design/methodology/approach: Data from all adult patients who underwent regional anesthesia as their primary anesthetic for upper extremity surgery over a one-year period were used to develop a simulation model.

Preoperative statin administration does not protect against early postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Statins have been shown to possess antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. In this study, we sought to determine if preoperative statin therapy is associated with a reduced frequency of postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in surgical populations at increased risk of developing ARDS.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort evaluation of the association between preoperative statin therapy and early postoperative ARDS in patients undergoing elective high-risk thoracic and aortic vascular surgery.

Perioperative endothelin levels in patients undergoing intracardiac repair for tetralogy of Fallot.

Background: Endothelin, a pro-inflammatory molecule, had been extensively studied in patients with cardiovascular illness. Impact on the perioperative outcome of patients with cyanotic congenital heart defects is still unknown. In the present study, we report perioperative changes in endothelin levels and their correlation with preoperative factors and clinical outcomes in a group of patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) undergoing definitive repair.

Time to extubation during propofol anesthesia for spine surgery with sufentanil compared with fentanyl: a retrospective cohort study.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: This study compares time to extubation between major spine surgery patients anesthetized with fentanyl versus sufentanil infusions in combination with propofol.

Summary Of Background Data: In patients undergoing spinal fusion with intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring of the spinal cord, total intravenous anesthesia with a propofol/opioid combination results in better electrophysiological signals compared with volatile anesthetics.

B-type natriuretic peptide as prognostic marker in tetralogy of Fallot surgery.

Background: B-type natriuretic peptide has been extensively studied in patients with cardiovascular disease, but its impact on the perioperative outcome of patients with cyanotic congenital heart defects is still unclear. We assessed the perioperative changes in B-type natriuretic peptide levels and their correlation with preoperative factors and clinical outcomes in a large homogenous group of patients with tetralogy of Fallot undergoing definitive repair at a tertiary care center.

Methods: A prospective study was undertaken in the cardiac operating room and intensive care unit at a single institution; 250 patients with tetralogy of Fallot undergoing intracardiac repair under cardiopulmonary bypass were studied.

How to improve the performance of intraoperative risk models: an example with vital signs using the surgical apgar score.

Background: Computerized reviews of patient data promise to improve patient care through early and accurate identification of at-risk and well patients. The significance of sampling strategy for patient vital signs data is not known. In the instance of the surgical Apgar score (SAS), we hypothesized that larger sampling intervals would improve the specificity and overall predictive ability of this tool.

Validation of computerized sniffer for monitoring perioperative normothermia.

Introduction: The World Health Organization sets a standard to maintain patient core temperature greater than 36°C throughout the perioperative period. Normothermia (defined as >36°C) in the Operating Room (OR) is an important factor to preventing complications in patients (MI, infection, coagulopathy). Randomized studies suggests that maintaining at higher temperatures may further reduce complications in surgery (less complications for group at 36.

Potential role of cardiac calsequestrin in the lethal arrhythmic effects of cocaine.

Background: Cocaine-related deaths are continuously rising and its overdose is often associated with lethal cardiotoxic effects.

Methods And Results: Our approach, employing isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and light scattering in parallel, has confirmed the significant affinity of human cardiac calsequestrin (CASQ2) for cocaine. Calsequestrin (CASQ) is a major Ca(2+)-storage protein within the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of both cardiac and skeletal muscles.