Toward optimal display of physiologic status in critical care: I. Recreating bedside displays from archived physiologic data

BACKGROUND: Physiologic data display is essential to decision making in critical care. Current displays echo first-generation hemodynamic monitors dating to the 1970s and have not kept pace with new insights into physiology or the needs of clinicians who must make progressively more complex decisions about their patients. The effectiveness of any redesign must be tested before deployment. Tools that compare current displays with novel presentations of processed physiologic data are required. Regenerating conventional physiologic displays from archived physiologic data is an essential first step. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of the study were to (1) describe the SSSI (single sensor single indicator) paradigm that is currently used for physiologic signal displays, (2) identify and discuss possible extensions and enhancements of the SSSI paradigm, and (3) develop a general approach and a software prototype to construct such "extended SSSI displays" from raw data. RESULTS: We present Multi Wave Animator (MWA) framework-a set of open source MATLAB (MathWorks, Inc., Natick, MA, USA) scripts aimed to create dynamic visualizations (eg, video files in AVI format) of patient vital signs recorded from bedside (intensive care unit or operating room) monitors. Multi Wave Animator creates animations in which vital signs are displayed to mimic their appearance on current bedside monitors. The source code of MWA is freely available online together with a detailed tutorial and sample data sets.

Effect of fibroblast growth factor NV1FGF on amputation and death: a randomised placebo-controlled trial of gene therapy in critical limb ischaemia

Patients with critical limb ischaemia have a high rate of amputation and mortality. We tested the hypothesis that non-viral 1 fibroblast growth factor (NV1FGF) would improve amputation-free survival.

Localization of primary language areas by arcuate fascicle fiber tracking

To reduce the risk of disabling postoperative functional deficit in patients with lesions in the dominant hemisphere, information about the localization of eloquent language areas is mandatory.

Application of the specular and diffuse reflection analysis for in vitro diagnostics of dental erosion: correlation with enamel softening, roughness, and calcium release

We present assembly and application of an optical reflectometer for the analysis of dental erosion. The erosive procedure involved acid-induced softening and initial substance loss phases, which are considered to be difficult for visual diagnosis in a clinic. Change of the specular reflection signal showed the highest sensitivity for the detection of the early softening phase of erosion among tested methods. The exponential decrease of the specular reflection intensity with erosive duration was compared to the increase of enamel roughness. Surface roughness was measured by optical analysis, and the observed tendency was correlated with scanning electron microscopy images of eroded enamel. A high correlation between specular reflection intensity and measurement of enamel softening (r(2) ? -0.86) as well as calcium release (r(2) ? -0.86) was found during erosion progression. Measurement of diffuse reflection revealed higher tooth-to-tooth deviation in contrast to the analysis of specular reflection intensity and lower correlation with other applied methods (r(2) = 0.42-0.48). The proposed optical method allows simple and fast surface analysis and could be used for further optimization and construction of the first noncontact and cost-effective diagnostic tool for early erosion assessment in vivo.

Lost in translation: the impact of publication language on citation frequency in the scientific dental literature

Citation metrics are commonly used as a proxy for scientific merit and relevance. Papers published in English, however, may exhibit a higher citation frequency than research articles published in other languages, though this issue has not yet been investigated from a Swiss perspective where English is not the native language.

Lesion characteristics of patients with chronic critical limb ischemia that determine choice of treatment modality

This paper will review the literature in order to define lesion characteristics that determine decision for surgical or endovascular therapy in patients with chronic critical limb ischemia (CLI). The typical pattern of disease is multilevel, infrainguinal disease. The great majority of patients with CLI can be treated by endovascular means, and the pathoanatomical pattern of disease dictates the choice of treatment modality. Long iliac artery occlusions, in particular, if associated with common femoral artery pathology and long superficial femoral artery occlusions crossing the knee joint so far remain a domain of surgery. However, there is an ongoing shift from surgery to endovascular treatment.

Hypertriglyceridemia: a potential side effect of propofol sedation in critical illness

Hypertriglyceridemia (hyperTG) is common among intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but knowledge about hyperTG risk factors is scarce. The present study aims to identify risk factors favoring its development in patients requiring prolonged ICU treatment.