Glottis Recognition Software Development Using Artificial Intelligence.

The use of video laryngoscopes has enhanced the visualization of the vocal cords, thereby improving the accessibility of tracheal intubation. Employing artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize images obtained through video laryngoscopy, particularly when marking the epiglottis and vocal cords, may elucidate anatomical structures and enhance anatomical comprehension of anatomy. This study investigates the ability of an AI model to accurately identify the glottis in video laryngoscope images captured from a manikin. Tracheal intubation was conducted on a manikin using a bronchoscope with recording capabilities, and image data of the glottis was gathered for creating an AI model. Data preprocessing and annotation of the vocal cords, epiglottis, and glottis were performed, and human annotation of the vocal cords, epiglottis, and glottis was carried out. Based on the AI's determinations, anatomical structures were color-coded for identification. The recognition accuracy of the epiglottis and vocal cords recognized by the AI model was 0.9516, which was over 95%. The AI successfully marked the glottis, epiglottis, and vocal cords during the tracheal intubation process. These markings significantly aided in the visual identification of the respective structures with an accuracy of more than 95%. The AI demonstrated the ability to recognize the epiglottis, vocal cords, and glottis using an image recognition model of a manikin.

Utility of Remimazolam for Fast-Track Recovery Following Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in an Elderly Patient With Severe Aortic Stenosis: A Case Report.

Remimazolam is an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine that has minimal hemodynamic effects and is useful for early extubation after cardiac surgery. We present a case of an elderly patient with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR), was extubated in the operating room, and recovered quickly without postoperative delirium. An 87-year-old woman with severe AS underwent AVR under cardiopulmonary bypass. General anesthesia was induced with remimazolam 10 mg over one minute and fentanyl 100 µg, and maintained with remimazolam 0.4-0.7 mg/kg/hour, fentanyl, and remifentanil. Intraoperative hemodynamic condition was stable without vasopressors. Remimazolam was discontinued after sternum closure. She recovered consciousness five minutes after the completion of the surgery, and the tracheal tube was removed in the operating room. Remimazolam may be useful for fast-track recovery following surgical AVR in an elderly patient with severe AS.

Clinical usefulness of urinary biomarkers for early prediction of acute kidney injury in patients undergoing transaortic valve implantation.

This study aimed to reveal the clinical usefulness of urinary biomarkers for the early prediction of AKI onset after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) (n = 173). In this study, 22 (12.7%) patients had AKI, of which 21 had mild AKI and 1 had moderate AKI. Higher levels of urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP), [tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2] × [insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7], clusterin and urinary albumin before, after and 4 h after TAVI were associated with AKI onset. However, the time point of higher urinary N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase levels related to AKI onset was only before TAVI. No significant differences were found in the area under the receiver-operator characteristic curves (AUC) for predicting AKI onset between urinary biomarkers before TAVI. After TAVI, the AUC (0.81) of urinary albumin was significantly higher than those of any other urinary biomarkers. The sensitivity (0.86) in urinary albumin after TAVI and specificity (0.98) in urinary L-FABP before TAVI were the highest among urinary biomarkers. In conclusion, urinary biomarkers may be clinically useful for early differentiation of patients with a higher or lower risk for AKI onset or early prediction of post-TAVI onset of AKI.

Health-Related Quality of Life Evaluation Using the Short Form-36 in Patients With Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1-Associated Myelopathy.

Background: Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy (HAM) is a neuroinflammatory disease, causing various neurological symptoms, including motor, sensory, and bladder and bowel dysfunctions. This study was designed to reveal the impact of HAM and related symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: We analyzed the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and clinical data of 538 patients with HAM registered in the HAM-net, a nationwide patient registry for HAM in Japan. HRQoL was evaluated using the SF-6D (a health state utility value calculated from the SF-36) and eight SF-36 subscales. A general liner model was used to estimate the impact of major HAM-related symptoms, including gait dysfunction, sensory disturbance in the legs (pain and numbness), urinary dysfunction, and constipation, on the SF-6D and SF-36 subscale scores. Results: The mean age and disease duration were 62.0 and 16.5 years, respectively. Of the patients, 73.2% needed walking aid; 42.7 and 67.1% had leg pain and numbness, respectively; 92.1% had urinary dysfunction; and 77.9% had constipation. The mean SF-6D score was 0.565, which was significantly lower than the national average (0.674 in the 60-69 years age group; p < 0.001), exceeding the minimal important difference (0.05-0.1). All the major symptoms were significantly associated with a decrease in the SF-6D score. The SF-36 subscale scores were significantly lower than the national standard of 50 (p ≤ 0.001), except for mental health (MH). Gait dysfunction was associated with lower scores in physical functioning (PF), limitations on role functioning because of physical health, bodily pain, general health perception (GH), vitality (VT), and social functioning; however, no association was observed between gait dysfunction and limitations on role functioning because of emotional problems and MH. Meanwhile, sensory disturbance in the legs was associated with a decrease in scores in all subscales. Urinary dysfunction was associated with worse PF, GH, VT, and MH. Constipation was associated only with PF. Conclusion: HRQoL of patients with HAM was worse than that of the general population and was associated with all major symptoms. Thus, patients should be comprehensively managed to achieve better HRQoL.

Quantitative and qualitative analyses of urinary L-FABP for predicting acute kidney injury after emergency laparotomy.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the clinical utility of urinary L-FABP for earlier prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) after emergency laparotomy, and to assess the clinical utility of a point-of-care (POC) kit for urinary L-FABP. METHODS: Forty-eight patients undergoing emergency laparotomy were divided into AKI and non-AKI groups by the kidney diseases: improving global outcome (KDIGO) criteria. Ten patients were included in the AKI group. Urinary L-FABP, albumin, N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), TIMP-2, IGFBP7, serum creatinine (SCr), and blood presepsin were measured perioperatively and compared between groups. Perioperative urinary L-FABP was also evaluated qualitatively using a POC kit. RESULTS: L-FABP and albumin levels were significantly higher in the AKI group at all measurement points. NAG was significantly higher only postoperatively in the AKI group. There were no inter-group differences in [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7] at any measuring point. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of urinary L-FABP was greater than 0.8 perioperatively, which was larger than that of other biomarkers throughout the study period. The correlation coefficient at 2 h after entering the operating room between quantitative and qualitative tests for urinary L-FABP was 0.714, which was the maximum. The sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of the urinary L-FABP POC kit at 2 h after entry were 55.6%, 91.9%, and 89.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Quantitative L-FABP analyses is suitable for predicting postoperative AKI earlier in the perioperative period of emergency laparotomy. Conversely, the higher specificity of qualitative L-FABP analysis suggests that it may be useful for excluding the risk of AKI but its overall clinical validity should be further investigated.

Clinical Utility of Urinary Biomarkers for Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury and Chronic Renal Dysfunction After Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

PURPOSE: We examined the clinical utility of perioperative monitoring of urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and albumin, for prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) and prediction of chronic renal dysfunction in patients undergoing open surgical repair (OSR) of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Urine and serum samples were obtained perioperatively from 64 such patients (n=64). Patients in whom OSR-related AKI (defined by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria) occurred were identified. Renal function was evaluated 3 years after OSR in patients with OSR-related AKI. RESULTS: The urinary biomarkers examined increased to maximum levels by 2 hours after aortic cross-clamping (AXC), regardless of whether AKI occurred. Notably, the serum creatinine (Cr) levels increased significantly immediately after OSR in patients with AKI (n=19) (vs that in patients without AKI). In patients with AKI, the increased serum Cr elevation rate, the urinary L-FABP levels 2 hours after AXC and immediately after OSR, and a reduction in eGFR documented 3 years after OSR were significantly greater in patients who underwent suprarenal AXC (n=11) than in those who underwent infrarenal AXC (n=8). Furthermore, urinary L-FABP levels 2 hours after AXC correlated significantly with the reductions in eGFR 3 years after OSR in patients with AKI. CONCLUSION: Urinary L-FABP, NGAL and albumin concentrations 2 hours after AXC may be useful for early detection of OSR-related AKI. Furthermore, the increase in urinary L-FABP 2 hours after AXC may be predictive of chronic renal dysfunction in patients with OSR-related AKI.

Mepivacaine-induced anaphylactic shock in a pregnant woman undergoing combined spinal and epidural anesthesia for cesarean delivery: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Anaphylactic shock during pregnancy is a rare but life-threatening event for both the mother and the newborn. CASE PRESENTATION: A 42-year-old woman, who was pregnant with twins, was scheduled for cesarean delivery under combined spinal and epidural anesthesia. An epidural catheter was placed uneventfully. After spinal anesthesia, the patient exhibited skin symptoms and severe hypotension. The patient was diagnosed with anaphylaxis, and subsequently, treatment was started. Fetal heart rate monitoring revealed sustained bradycardia, and it was decided to proceed with cesarean delivery. After delivery, the mother's vital signs recovered. Both infants were intubated due to birth asphyxia. Currently, the twins are 4 years old and exhibit no developmental problems. Clinical examination identified mepivacaine as the causative agent of anaphylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: This case report highlights that upon occurrence of anaphylaxis during pregnancy, maternal treatment and fetal assessment should be started immediately. Indication for immediate cesarean delivery should be considered and a definite identification of the causative factor pursued.

Near-infrared spectroscopy might be a useful tool for predicting the risk of vascular complications after pediatric liver transplants: Two case reports.

In patients that have undergone liver transplants, a postoperative reduction in the blood flow of the liver graft represents a critical complication. We recently encountered an interesting phenomenon; that is, we found that the rSO2 level of the liver graft, as measured by NIRS, drops in patients that subsequently require an emergency liver biopsy. An 8-month-old female and an 8-month-old male underwent living donor liver transplants for biliary atresia. In both cases, a reduction in rSO2 was detected before an emergency liver biopsy was required. As a result of biopsy examinations, both patients were diagnosed with acute graft rejection. NIRS might be useful for graft management during the postoperative period in pediatric patients that undergo liver transplantation. After a liver transplant, a reduction in the rSO2 of the graft might be indicative of the onset of vascular complications.

Effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation for painful camptocormia with Pisa syndrome in Parkinson's disease: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has recently been reported to be effective for truncal postural abnormalities such as camptocormia and Pisa syndrome in Parkinson's disease. In this case report, we describe a case of a woman with Parkinson's disease in whom SCS was effective for painful camptocormia with Pisa syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of painful camptocormia. She had noticed resting tremor in the left upper limb and aprosody at 48 years of age. She was diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease (Hoehn & Yahr stage 1) at 53 years of age. Cabergoline was started during that same year, with subsequent addition of selegiline hydrochloride; the symptoms of parkinsonism disappeared. Wearing-off occurred when she was 57 years old, 3 years after starting carbidopa/levodopa, and truncal postural abnormalities-painful camptocormia with Pisa syndrome to the right-appeared at 58 years of age. These symptoms worsened despite adjustment of her oral medications, and deep brain stimulation (DBS) was performed when she was 60 years old. The truncal postural abnormalities improved after DBS, and she could travel abroad at 61 years of age. However, from 62 years of age, painful camptocormia with Pisa syndrome to the right reappeared. The pain was unsuccessfully treated with oral analgesics, radiofrequency coagulation of the dorsal and medial branches of the lumbar spinal nerve, and lumbar epidural block. Finally, SCS was performed for the pain relief. The pain disappeared immediately after SCS and her posture then gradually improved. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score improved from 48 to 34 points and Timed Up and Go Test improved from 15 s to 7 s after SCS. CONCLUSIONS: This case suggests that SCS may be effective for improving painful truncal postural abnormalities and motor complications of Parkinson's disease. Pain relief or a direct effect on the central nervous system by SCS was considered to explain the alleviation of these symptoms.

Peripheral nerve conduction abnormalities precede morphological alterations in an experimental rat model of sepsis.

PURPOSE: The pathological mechanisms of critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP), an acute neuromuscular disorder, remain unknown. In this study, we evaluated nerve and vascular properties that might account for electrophysiological abnormalities, including reduced nerve conduction amplitude, in the early phase of CIP. METHODS: Rats were administered intravenous saline (C-group; n = 31) or lipopolysaccharide (3 mg/kg/day; L-group; n = 30) for 48 h. Subsequently, tracheotomy was performed and sciatic nerves exposed bilaterally. A catheter was inserted into the left internal carotid artery to measure the mean arterial pressure (MAP). Nerve conduction velocity (NCV), nerve blood flow (NBF), evoked amplitudes, chronaxie, rheobase, and the absolute refractory period (ARP) were measured from the sciatic nerves. Degeneration, myelination, and neutrophil infiltration were examined in the sciatic nerves using histology and electron microscopy. RESULTS: The NBF (C-group 25 ± 3 ml/100 g/min, L-group 13 ± 3 ml/100 g/min, p < 0.001) was lower in the L-group, but the MAP was similar between groups (C-group 119 ± 17 mmHg, L-group 115 ± 18 mmHg, p = 0.773). LPS also caused a severe reduction in amplitude (C-group 0.9 ± 0.2 mV, L-group 0.2 ± 0.1 mV, p < 0.001), while latency and NCV were not affected. Of note, response amplitudes partially recovered with an increase in stimulus intensity. LPS treatment increased the rheobase and decreased the chronaxie (rheobase: C vs L-group; 0.35 ± 0.07 vs 1.29 ± 0.66 mA, p < 0.001; chronaxie 171 ± 24 vs 42 ± 20 µs, p < 0.001), while ARP was unchanged. No primary axonal degeneration or inflammatory infiltration was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that primary electrophysiological deterioration is due to threshold alterations rather than morphological alterations after 48 h of LPS treatment.

Comparison of the analgesic effect between continuous wound infiltration and single-injection transversus abdominis plane block after gynecologic laparotomy.

PURPOSE: Both single-injection transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and continuous wound infiltration (CWI) provide postoperative analgesia, but no study has compared the two regional techniques. We tested the hypothesis that CWI is more effective for controlling postoperative pain compared with single-injection TAP block after laparotomy. METHODS: We conducted a prospective randomized study of patients undergoing gynecologic laparotomy with midline incision through the umbilicus under general anesthesia. The patients were allocated to receive either single-injection TAP block (TAP group) or CWI (CWI group) for postoperative analgesia. All patients received intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with morphine and intravenous flurbiprofen twice daily after surgery. Postoperative pain at rest and on coughing, postoperative morphine consumption, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), pruritus and urinary retention, ambulation, and satisfaction score were recorded. Patients were assessed at 3 h after surgery and twice daily on postoperative days (POD) 1 and 2. RESULTS: Data of 54 patients were analyzed. Compared to the TAP group (n = 27), pain score on coughing was significantly lower in the CWI group (n = 27) on POD1 and POD2 (P < 0.05). Pain score on coughing at 3 h after surgery, pain score at rest at all assessed time points, morphine consumption, incidence of PONV, pruritus and urinary retention, ambulation, and satisfaction score were not different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: CWI reduced pain on coughing after the day of surgery compared with single-injection TAP block when performed as part of multimodal analgesia in patients undergoing gynecologic laparotomy.

[A Case of Living Donor Liver Transplantation Complicated by Thrombosis due to a Central Venous Catheter in the Right Internal Jugular Vein].

Central venous catheter-related infection and throm- bosis frequently occur, leading to serious complications in some cases. We encountered a case of thrombosis developing on the sixth day after surgery, in a patient with a PreSep Central Venous Oximetry Catheter™ placed in the internal jugular vein. A 53-year-old woman with a height of 160.8 cm and weight of 52.9 kg, showing normal coagulation test results, was scheduled for living donor liver transplantation under general anesthesia with sevoflurane/remifentanil. The durations of surgery and anesthesia were 6 hours and 56 minutes and 8 hours and 24 minutes, respectively. Although central venous catheter insertion and postop- erative management were appropriately performed, the patient reported chest pain and dyspnea just after the removal of the central venous catheter on the sixth day after surgery, and was diagnosed with thrombosis on CT. This case highlights the importance of selecting appropriate catheters considering perioperative risks and removing them in the early stages.

[Use of RRa sensor in a pediatric patient with post-adenotonsillectomy].

Rad-87 and RRa are new acoustic monitoring devices which can monitor the respiratory rate. To our knowledge, no studies have reported the RRa sensor used in pediatric patients after surgery. We succeeded in measuring the respiratory rate with the RRa sensor in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit(PICU). A 10-year-old boy, 14.5 kg in weight and 119.6 cm in height, with cerebral palsy, mental retardation, epilepsy, and obstructive sleep apnea due to adenoidal and tonsillar hypertrophy, was scheduled for adenotonsillectomy under general anesthesia. Anesthesia was maintained with oxygen, air, sevoflurane (1.5-2.0%), remifentanil (0.1 to 0.5 microg . kg-1. min-1), and fentanyl (4 microg . kg-1). The operating time was 55 minutes, and the duration of anesthesia was 133 minutes. After finishing the surgery, we attached the RRa sensor to his anterior neck and monitored his respiratory rate. Furthermore, RRa could count his respiratory rate, during transfer from the operating room to PICU. The patient was sedated with dexmedetomidine (0.28 microg . kg-1 . min-1) at PICU, and his respiratory rate was accurately measured with the RRa sensor. We hope that Rad-87 and RRa sensors will become useful for measuring the respiratory rate in pediatric patients in the future.

[Anesthetic management of a morbidly obese patient in prone position for lumbar laminectomy].

A 22-year-old man weighing 188.7kg, 170cm tall (body mass index 65.2 kg x m(-2)) with bladder and rectal disturbances due to lumbar disc hernia (L4/5 and L5/S1) was scheduled for L4-5 laminectomy under general anesthesia. Awake fiberoptic intubation was attempted to prevent airway obstruction because we predicted difficult airway. During fiberoptic tracheal intubation, we easily succeeded in the insertion of the fiberscope itself into the trachea, and we succeeded in placing the reinforced tube into the trachea. Fentanyl and sugammadex were calculated with total body weight, but, remifentanil, propofol, and rocuronium were re-calculated with ideal body weight. They were given intravenously. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (1.5 to 2.0%), the fraction of inspiratory oxygen (about 0.6), remifentanil (0.1 to 0.4 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1)), and fentanyl (100 to 150 microg) as needed. After turning to prone position, severe physiological abnormal signs were not recognized. We concluded that awake fiberoptic intubation was useful and safe; moreover, anesthetic agents were administrated appropriately for morbid obesity.

Comparison of the analgesic effects of continuous extrapleural block and continuous epidural block after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, open study. The regional technique used was not blinded. SETTING: A university teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-eight patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for tumor resection. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received either continuous extrapleural block or continuous epidural block using ropivacaine for a period of 60 hours after surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: To evaluate postoperative pain control, the primary and secondary endpoints were the visual analog scale (VAS) on movement and the amount of rescue analgesia, respectively. There were no significant differences between the extrapleural and epidural block groups with regard to VAS at rest and during movement assessed at 4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours after surgery, dosage of intravenous morphine (extrapleural: 12.9 ± 11.3, epidural: 10.2 ± 6.9 mg), supplemental nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (extrapleural: 12/20, epidural: 11/20), postoperative ambulation (extrapleural: 18 at postoperative day [POD] 1 and 20 at POD 2, epidural: 19 at POD 1 and 20 at POD 2) and hospital stay after surgery (extrapleural: 12.7 ± 6.3, epidural: 12.6 ± 4.7 days). CONCLUSIONS: Although this study did not show the superiority of continuous extrapleural block relative to continuous epidural in VATS patients, the results suggest that both methods provided effective analgesia with a relatively small dose of rescue morphine. Although the analgesic effects of these techniques were comparable, extrapleural block has the advantage of safety and precise placement of the catheter and can be considered an alternative to epidural block in VATS patients.

Ehlers-Danlos type IV in pregnancy with a history of myocardial infarction.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) type IV is an autosomal dominantly inherited connective tissue disorder caused by abnormal type III collagen resulting from heterogenous mutations of the type III procollagen gene (COL3A1). The maternal mortality rate per pregnancy in EDS type IV has been reported as 11.5% to 25%. A 30-year-old Japanese primiparous woman, with a brother who had suffered a bowel rupture due to EDS type IV, became pregnant. She also suffered from myocardial infarction due to coronary artery dissections at 24 years old, and underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. Due to uncontrollable uterine contractions, beta 2-stimulants were administered during 18 to 29 weeks of gestation. Therefore, we performed a cesarean section at 29 weeks of gestation to prevent uterine rupture. She and her baby were discharged without any complications. It was revealed that she had the same mutation as her brother, Gly220Trp, in the (Gly-X-Y)n repeat of the triple-helical domain of COL3A1.

[Effect of heparin on the activated partial thromboplastin time in parturients receiving combined spinal and epidural anesthesia for caesarean section].

BACKGROUND: Although administration of heparin is a useful method for preventing deep venous thromboembolism, one limitation is the increased risk of bleeding. In this retrospective investigation, we evaluated the effect of heparin on the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in parturients who received caesarean section under combined spinal and epidural anesthesia. METHODS: In order to prevent deep venous thromboembolism, heparin 5000 units twice daily, was subcutaneously given in 199 parturients who received caesarean section under combined spinal and epidural anesthesia. Measured APTT was compared between before and after administration of the heparin. RESULTS: The heparin extended APTT from 29.6 +/- 2.5 sec to 35.4 +/- 5.9 sec (P < 0.05). An extended APTT by 1.5 times or more was found in 1.1% of the patients. There was no deep thromboembolism nor increased bleeding, including intra-abdominal and epidural hematoma. CONCLUSIONS: Subcutaneously administered heparin, 5000 units twice daily, might have a role in preventing deep venous thromboembolism in parturients undergoing caesarean section. Strict vigilance, however, should be provided against increased bleeding associated with epidural hematoma in parturients with an indwelling epidural catheter.

[Airtraq optical laryngoscope].

BACKGROUND: We described an early experience of Airtraq laryngoscope in 20 patients receiving general anesthesia. METHODS: In all, 2 staff anesthesiologists, 3 anesthesia residents and 10 non-anesthesia residents performed endotracheal intubation with 14 polyvinyl chloride tubes with inside diameter of 7-8 mm, 5 double lumen 37-F tubes and 1 preformed nasotracheal tube. RESULTS: Every endotracheal intubation was achieved at the first trial, and the mean time to secure the airway was 46 +/- 18 seconds. CONCLUSIONS: Airtraq laryngoscope is a useful novel device for tracheal intubation.