Objective To explore the clinical application and effect of infrared thermal imager in blood flow monitoring after skin flap surgery by comparing with skin-contact thermometer. Methods Fifty patients who had undergone flap repair in the microsurgery ward of Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine between October 2019 and October 2020 were enrolled. An infrared thermal imager (FLIR ONE Pro) and a skin-contact thermometer were applied to monitor the skin temperature change till 7 d after surgery. The time consumed of using infrared thermal imager and skin-contact thermometer by different nurses, the efficacy of flap temperature monitoring of the two devices, the temperatures at different time points by using the two devices, and the temperatures under different distances to the flaps by using infrared thermal imager were compared. Results Different nurses had no difference in operating either of the two devices (P>0.05). It took significantly less time to measure the temperature of the flap area with the infrared thermal imager than using skin-contact thermometer [(39.28±3.52) vs. (103.85±9.09) s, P<0.001]. The skin temperature measured by the infrared thermal imager was significantly higher than that by the skin-contact thermometer (P<0.001), and the skin temperature measured by the infrared thermal imager at a height of 30 cm was higher than that at a height of 50 cm (P=0.006), but the temperature change amplitudes were both stable. Conclusions Infrared thermal imager is superior to skin-contact thermometer in terms of temperature measurement time, ease of operation, and sensitivity to temperature changes after skin flap operations. The thermal image collected by infrared thermal imager can provide an important basis for the identification of flap vascular crisis. It is a visual and objective blood supply monitoring equipment.
Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has been more widely used in small molecule agents, such as immuno-suppressants, antiepileptic drugs and antibiotics, with less attention in the field of therapeutic biological agents. Monoclonal drugs represented by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors have shown a good relationship between exposure and efficacy in clinical studies. There are corresponding guidelines and consensus for the recommendations of TDM based on current research evidence. Therefore, this paper introduced the current evidence, strategies and considerations for TDM in the optimal treatment of adalimumab from the perspective of adalimumab TDM to provide references for the clinical practice of adalimumab TDM.
Based on the capacitance coupling principle, we studied a capacitive way of non-contact electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, making it possible to obtain ECG on the condition that a patient is habilimented. Conductive fabric with a good electrical conductivity was used as electrodes. The electrodes fixed on a bed sheet is presented in this paper. A capacitance comes into being as long as the body gets close to the surface of electrode, sandwiching the cotton cushion, which acts as dielectric. The surface potential generated by heart is coupled to electrodes through the capacitance. After being processed, the signal is suitable for monitoring. The test results show that 93.5% of R wave could be detected for 9 volunteers and ECG with good signal quality could be acquired for 2 burnt patients. Non-contact ECG is harmless to skin, and it has advantages for those patients to whom stickup electrodes are not suitable. On the other hand, it is convenient to use and good for permanent monitoring.
ObjectiveTo observe and analyze the correlation between time within target glucose range (TIR) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR). MethodsA retrospective clinical study. From March 2020 to August 2021, 91 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who were hospitalized in Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, were included in the study. All patients underwent Oburg's no-dilatation ultra-wide-angle laser scan ophthalmoscopy, HbA1c and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) examinations. According to the examination results and combined with the clinical diagnostic criteria of DR, the patients were divided into non-DR (NDR) group and DR group, with 50 and 41 cases respectively. The retrospective CGM system was used to monitor the subcutaneous interstitial fluid glucose for 7 to 14 consecutive days, and the TIR was calculated. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between TIR, HbAlc and DR in patients with T2DM0. At the same time, a new indicator was generated, the predicted probability value (PRE_1), which was generated to represent the combined indicator of TIR and HbA1c in predicting the occurrence of DR. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to analyze the value of TIR, HbAlc and PRE_1 in predicting the occurrence of DR. ResultsThe TIR of patients in the NDR group and DR group were (81.58±15.51)% and (67.27±22.09)%, respectively, and HbA1c were (8.03±2.16)% and (9.01±2.01)%, respectively. The differences in TIR and HbA1c between the two groups of patients were statistically significant (t=3.501,－2.208; P=0.001, 0.030). The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that TIR, HbA1c and DR were significantly correlated (odds ratio=0.960, 1.254; P=0.002, 0.036). ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of TIR, HbA1c and PRE_1 predicting the risk of DR were 0.704, 0.668, and 0.707, respectively [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.597-0.812, P=0.001; 95%CI 0.558-0.778, P=0.006; 95%CI 0.602-0.798, P=0.001]. There was no statistically significant difference between TIR, HbA1c and PRE_1 predicting the AUC of DR risk (P>0.05). The linear equation between HbAlc and TIR was HbAlc (%) = 11.37－0.04×TIR (%). ConclusionsTIR and HbA1c are both related to DR and can predict the risk of DR. The combined use of the two does not improve the predictive value of DR. There is a linear correlation between TIR and HbAlc.
ObjectiveTo analyse the microsurgical treatment and facial nerve preservation of giant acoustic neuromas.
MethodsUnder the conditions of facial nerve monitoring, 400 patients with giant acoustic neuromas underwent microsurgical removal via suboccipital retrosigmoid approach between January 2005 and January 2013. There were 186 males and 214 females, with the age ranged from 15 to 74 years (mean, 41.6 years). The disease duration was 2-13 years (mean, 2.4 years). The lesions were located at the left cerebellopontine angle region (CPA) in 191 cases, right CPA in 200 cases, bilateral CPA in 9 cases. The clinical manifestations included unilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as first symptoms in 389 cases, facial numbness in 373 cases, unilateral facial paralysis in 370 cases, headache in 269 cases, lower cranial nerve symptoms with drinking cough and dysphagia in 317 cases, and unstable gait in 342 cases. Preoperative skull base thin layer CT showed varying degrees of horn-like expansion in ipsilateral internal auditory canal opening. MRI showed cysts in 78 cases and solid masses in 322 cases; with hydrocephalus in 269 cases. Postoperative cranial MRI or CT was taken to observe the extent of tumor resection. The preservation of facial nerves in anatomy was assessed by intraoperative microscope video and electrophysiological monitoring; the facial nerves function was assessed according to House-Brackmann (HB) classification on the first day after operation; and the rehabilitation of facial nerve function was also assessed at discharge and at 1 year postoperatively by using HB grade.
ResultsTotal tumor removal was achieved in 372 cases (93.00%), and subtotal removal in 28 cases (7.00%). One case died of delayed brainstem ischemia at 14 days after operation, and 1 case died of lung infection at 20 days after operation; 398 cases were followed up 6 months to 8 years (mean, 3.5 years). Recurrence occurred in 1 case because of neurofibromatosis at 5 years after operation. The rate of anatomical preservation of the facial nerve during operation was 91.75% (367/400), and the functional preservation rate at the first day after operation was 62.75% (251/400). The HB grade of facial nerve function showed significant difference aomng 3 time points (at the first day, at discharge and at 1 year after operation) (χ2=23.432, P=0.000). Complications included postoperative intracranial infection in 11 cases (2.75%), cerebrospinal fluid leakage in 29 cases (7.25%), aggravated lower cranial nerve symptoms in 18 cases (4.50%), subcutaneous effusion in 13 cases (3.25%), second operation to remove hematoma in 9 cases (2.25%), postoperative circumoral herpes simplex virus infection in 25 cases (6.25%), and all complications were cured after symptomatic treatment. Postoperative hydrocephalus disappeared in 261 cases.
ConclusionSurgical operation is the first choice in the treatment of giant acoustic neuromas. Under the auxiliary of neural electrophysiological monitoring, the microsurgery operation via suboccipital retrosigmoid approach for giant acoustic neuromas has extremely low mortality and high preservation rate of facial nerve function.
Objective To discuss the application value in increasing the frequency of monitoring and ensuring the safety of anticoagulation therapy in patient self-monitoring (PST) and self-management (PSM) of portable coagulometer.
Method This non-randomized prospective controlled study was conducted in 100 patients receiving oral warfarin anticoagulation therapy after heart valve replacement and met the inclusion criteria in our hospital between March 2013 and April 2014 year. All the patients were divided into three groups including an outpatient follow-up group(outpatient group), a self-monitoring group and a self-management group. Meanwhile, the patients in the outpatient group visited professional institutions, performed international normalized ratio (INR) testing with central lab and adjusted the dosage of orally administered warfarin by the doctors. And the other two groups performed INR testing with CoaguChek XS portable coagulometer by themselves, and the patients in the self-management group performed management by themselves. The follow-up time was 6 months. The dates of time in therapeutic range (TTR), fraction of time in therapeutic range (FTTR) and anticoagulation complications in the three groups were analyzed and compared.
Results There was no significant difference in the INR results obtained from the follow-up time among the three groups (P=0.845) . TTR value of INR of the outpatient group, the self-monitoring group, and the self-management group was 45.9% (4368.0 days/9517.0 days), 61.2% (6057.0 days/9897.0 days), and 65.4% (2833.8 days/4333.0 days), respectively with a statistical difference among the three groups (P<0.001) . FTTR value of INR obtained from the outpatient group, the self-monitoring group, and the self-management group was 48.3% (99 times/205 times), 60.7% (164 times/270 times), and 64.9% (100 times/154 times) respectively. There was a statistical difference in the FTTR between the outpatient group and the self-monitoring group (P=0.007) , and also between the outpatient group and the self-monitoring group (P=0.002) . But there was no statistical difference between the self-monitoring group and the self-management group (P=0.392) . There were not any major bleeding and thrombosis complications in all study. And there was no statistical difference in the total complications, thrombosis, and bleeding complications rates between the outpatient group and the self-monitoring group, and also between the outpatient group and the self-management group (P>0.05) .
Conclusions The patients receiving oral anticoagulation after heart valve replacement or their care providers were able to perform PST and PSM. The use of portable coagulometer for self-monitoring and self-management can increase the frequency of anticoagulation monitoring and achieve better INR target value control. PST and PSM could achieve higher quality of anticoagulation management and life and without increasing the risk of oral anticoagulation than the traditional monitoring method. The monitoring frequency of once a month is reasonable for the patients receiving oral anticoagulation more than half a year after heart valve replacement.
Objective To summarize application effect and clinical experience of multimodal intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) technology in the surgery of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) related peripheral nerve tumors. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on NF1 patients, who admitted between January 2019 and December 2023 and treated with peripheral nerve tumor resection surgery assisted by multimodal IONM technology. There were 49 males and 45 females. The age ranged from 5 to 78 years, with an average of 33.7 years. Tumor morphological classification included 71 cases of nodular type, 13 cases of diffuse type, and 10 cases of mixed type. Target tumors were distributed in craniofacial region (47 cases), neck (11 cases), trunk (12 cases), and limbs (24 cases). Preoperatively, 44 cases had no obvious neurological symptoms, while the remaining patients had neurological symptoms, including 15 cases of visual impairment, 5 cases of hearing impairment, 16 cases of somatic movement disorders, and 31 cases of somatic sensory disorders, of which 7 cases had more than one symptom. IONM plans were selected based on the relevant nerves and adjacent important structures of the target tumor, including visual evoked potential (17 cases), somatosensory evoked potential (44 cases), motor evoked potential (88 cases), and electromyogram (94 cases).Results All surgeries were successfully completed. Ninety-three patients underwent total/near total resection and 1 patient underwent palliative resection. Pathological examination showed 80 cases of neurofibroma and 14 cases of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Complications included 2 cases of hematoma and 3 cases of incision infection. All patients were followed up 3-61 months (median, 15 months). During follow-up, no significant changes in neurological symptoms or tumor recurrence were found. Among the patients with preoperative visual impairment, there were 14 cases with no improvement in symptoms and 1 with improvement after surgery. Among the patients with somatic movement disorders, there were 11 cases with no improvement in symptoms, 3 cases with improvement, 2 cases with aggravation, 4 newly onset cases, and 1 case with significant impact on daily life after surgery. Among the patients with somatic sensory disorders, there were 17 cases with no improvement in symptoms, 14 cases with improvement, and 13 newly onset cases. The patients with hearing impairment showed improvement after surgery. Conclusion The clinical manifestations of NF1 related peripheral nerve tumors are complex. Multimodal IONM technology can provide real-time detection of nerve provocation and damage. Surgical treatment with multimodal IONM technology is safe and can reduce complications.
Objective To compare administration of incidence reporting systems for healthcare risk management in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Taiwan, and to provide evidence and recommendations for healthcare risk management policy in China. Methods We searched the official websites of the healthcare risk management agencies of the four countries and one district for laws, regulatory documents, research reports, reviews, and evaluation forms concerned with healthcare risk management and assessment. Descriptive comparative analysis was performed on relevant documents. Results (1) A total of 142 documents were included in this study. The United States had the most relevant documents (68). (2) The type of incidents from reporting systems has expanded from medication errors and hospital-acquired infections to near-misses, and now includes all patient safety incidents. (3) The incidence-reporting systems can be grouped into two models: government-led and legal/regulatory/NGO-collaborative. (4) In two cases, reporting systems were established for specific incident types: One for death or serious injury events (the sentinel events database in Britain, SIRL), and one for healthcare-associated infections (NHSN in America). (5) Compared to the four countries, Taiwan’s system put more emphasis on public welfare, confidentiality, and information sharing. The contents of reporting there covered every aspect of risk management to create a more secure environment. Conclusion (1) Britain’s national reporting and learning system was representative of a government-led model; (2) The United States was the earliest country to have a reporting system, which included a limited range of incident types. Management of incidents became more reliable with increased application of laws, regulations, and guidances; (3) Both the Canadian and the Australian systems drew from the American experience and are still developing; (4) The Taiwanese system was comprehensive and is an instructional case.
A hand-held electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor with capacitive coupling is designed in this study that can rapidly detect ECG signals through clothing. This new device improves many deficiencies of the traditional ECG monitor, such as infection due to direct skin contacting, inconvenience, and time-consuming. In specificity, the hand-held ECG monitor consists of two parts, a sensor and an embedded terminal. ECG signals are initially detected by a sensing electrode placed on the chest through clothing, then treated by single ended differential amplification, filtering and master amplification, and later processed through A/D conversion and ECG signal transmission by CC2540 module. The waveform and heart rate are finally displayed on the screen based on digital filtering and data processing for the received ECG signal on the embedded terminal. Results confirm that the newly developed hand-held ECG monitor is capable of detecting real-time ECG signals through clothing with advantages of simple operation, portability and rapid detection.
Objective To explore the factors associated with clinic follow-up of old patients with colorectal cancer and provide more evidence to improve the efficiency and quality of clinic follow-up after sugery. Methods The data of 253 patients who were underwent sugery because of old colorectal cancer in our hospital from January 2009 to May 2010 were reviewed. Data about the rate and times of clinic follow-up within 6 months after operation were collected via Hospital Information Systerm,??then the follow-up rate was calculated,??and to analyse the possible factors associated with follow-up times and rate. Results The total follow-up rate was 84.2%（213/253）,??and the total times of follow-up was between 0 to 24 times per one,??（4.08±0.03）times on average. On the times of follow-up,??patients inside the city was higher than that outside,??patients with medical or postoperative complications were higher than those without,??and patients with a stoma was lower than that without,??and the differences were statistically significant （P＜0.05）.While on the follow-up rate,??patients underwent a radical sugery or with a stoma were lower than those not or without,??and the differences were statistically significant （P＜0.05）. Conclusions The clinic follow-up of old colorectal cancer patients is not satisfactory,??and the possible factors associated with follow-up times or rate are the distance between residence and hospital,?have medical complications or not,??have postoperative complications or not,??radical sugery or not,??and with a stoma or without.
