New Hemodynamic Parameters in Peri-Operative and Critical Care-Challenges in Translation.

Hemodynamic monitoring technologies are evolving continuously-a large number of bedside monitoring options are becoming available in the clinic. Methods such as echocardiography, electrical bioimpedance, and calibrated/uncalibrated analysis of pulse contours are becoming increasingly common. This is leading to a decline in the use of highly invasive monitoring and allowing for safer, more accurate, and continuous measurements. The new devices mainly aim to monitor the well-known hemodynamic variables (e.g., novel pulse contour, bioreactance methods are aimed at measuring widely-used variables such as blood pressure, cardiac output). Even though hemodynamic monitoring is now safer and more accurate, a number of issues remain due to the limited amount of information available for diagnosis and treatment. Extensive work is being carried out in order to allow for more hemodynamic parameters to be measured in the clinic. In this review, we identify and discuss the main sensing strategies aimed at obtaining a more complete picture of the hemodynamic status of a patient, namely: (i) measurement of the circulatory system response to a defined stimulus; (ii) measurement of the microcirculation; (iii) technologies for assessing dynamic vascular mechanisms; and (iv) machine learning methods. By analyzing these four main research strategies, we aim to convey the key aspects, challenges, and clinical value of measuring novel hemodynamic parameters in critical care.

Identifying adverse drug reactions from free-text electronic hospital health record notes.

BACKGROUND: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are estimated to be the fifth cause of hospital death. Up to 50% are potentially preventable and a significant number are recurrent (reADRs). Clinical decision support systems have been used to prevent reADRs using structured reporting concerning the patient's ADR experience, which in current clinical practice is poorly performed. Identifying ADRs directly from free text in electronic health records (EHRs) could circumvent this. AIM: To develop strategies to identify ADRs from free-text notes in electronic hospital health records. METHODS: In stage I, the EHRs of 10 patients were reviewed to establish strategies for identifying ADRs. In stage II, complete EHR histories of 45 patients were reviewed for ADRs and compared to the strategies programmed into a rule-based model. ADRs were classified using MedDRA and included in the study if the Naranjo causality score was ≥1. Seriousness was assessed using the European Medicine Agency's important medical event list. RESULTS: In stage I, two main search strategies were identified: keywords indicating an ADR and specific prepositions followed by medication names. In stage II, the EHRs contained a median of 7.4 (range 0.01-18) years of medical history covering over 35 000 notes. A total of 318 unique ADRs were identified of which 63 were potentially serious and 179 (sensitivity 57%) were identified by the rule. The method falsely identified 377 ADRs (positive predictive value 32%). However, it also identified an additional eight ADRs. CONCLUSION: Two key strategies were developed to identify ADRs from hospital EHRs using free-text notes. The results appear promising and warrant further study.

Intelligent checklists improve checklist compliance in the intensive care unit: a prospective before-and-after mixed-method study.

BACKGROUND: We examined whether a context and process-sensitive 'intelligent' checklist increases compliance with best practice compared with a paper checklist during intensive care ward rounds. METHODS: We conducted a single-centre prospective before-and-after mixed-method trial in a 35 bed medical and surgical ICU. Daily ICU ward rounds were observed during two periods of 8 weeks. We compared paper checklists (control) with a dynamic (digital) clinical checklist (DCC, intervention). The primary outcome was compliance with best clinical practice, measured as the percentages of checked items and unchecked critical items. Secondary outcomes included ICU stay and the usability of digital checklists. Data are presented as median (interquartile range). RESULTS: Clinical characteristics and severity of critical illness were similar during both control and intervention periods of study. A total of 36 clinicians visited 197 patients during 352 ward rounds using the paper checklist, compared with 211 patients during 366 ward rounds using the DCC. Per ICU round, a median of 100% of items (94.4-100.0) were completed by DCC, compared with 75.1% (66.7-86.4) by paper checklist (P=0.03). No critical items remained unchecked by the DCC, compared with 15.4% (8.3-27.3) by the paper checklist (P=0.01). The DCC was associated with reduced ICU stay (1 day [1-3]), compared with the paper checklist (2 days [1-4]; P=0.05). Usability of the DCC was judged by clinicians to require further improvement. CONCLUSIONS: A digital checklist improved compliance with best clinical practice, compared with a paper checklist, during ward rounds on a mixed ICU. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03599856.

Fully automated postoperative ventilation in cardiac surgery patients: a randomised clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring that lung-protective ventilation is achieved at scale is challenging in perioperative practice. Fully automated ventilation may be more effective in delivering lung-protective ventilation. Here, we compared automated lung-protective ventilation with conventional ventilation after elective cardiac surgery in haemodynamically stable patients. METHODS: In this single-centre investigator-led study, patients were randomly assigned at the end of cardiac surgery to receive either automated (adaptive support ventilation) or conventional ventilation. The primary endpoint was the proportion of postoperative ventilation time characterised by exposure to predefined optimal, acceptable, and critical (injurious) ventilatory parameters in the first three postoperative hours. Secondary outcomes included severe hypoxaemia (Spo2 <85%) and resumption of spontaneous breathing. Data are presented as mean (95% confidence intervals [CIs]). RESULTS: We randomised 220 patients (30.4% females; age: 62-76 yr). Subjects randomised to automated ventilation (n=109) spent a 29.7% (95% CI: 22.1-37.4) higher mean proportion of postoperative ventilation time receiving optimal postoperative ventilation after surgery (P<0.001) compared with subjects receiving conventional postoperative ventilation (n=111). Automated ventilation also reduced the proportion of postoperative ventilation time that subjects were exposed to injurious ventilatory settings by 2.5% (95% CI: 1-4; P=0.003). Severe hypoxaemia was less likely in subjects randomised to automated ventilation (risk ratio: 0.26 [0.22-0.31]; P<0.01). Subjects resumed spontaneous breathing more rapidly when randomised to automated ventilation (hazard ratio: 1.38 [1.05-1.83]; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Fully automated ventilation in haemodynamically stable patients after cardiac surgery optimised lung-protective ventilation during postoperative ventilation, with fewer episodes of severe hypoxaemia and an accelerated resumption of spontaneous breathing. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03180203.

Clinical rule-guided pharmacists' intervention in hospitalized patients with hypokalaemia: A time series analysis.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Physicians' response to moderate and severe hypokalaemia in hospitalized patients is frequently suboptimal, leading to increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. While actively alerting physicians on all critical care values using telephone or electronic pop-ups can improve response, it can also lead to alert fatigue and frustration due to non-specific and overdue alerts. Therefore, a new method was tested. A clinical rule built into a clinical decision support system (CDSS) generated alerts for patients with a serum potassium level (SPL) <2.9 mmol/L without a prescription for potassium supplementation. If the alert was deemed clinically relevant, a pharmacist contacted the physician. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the clinical rule-guided pharmacists' intervention compared to showing passive alerts in the electronic health records on outcome in patients who developed hypokalaemia (<2.9 mmol/L) during hospitalization. METHODS: A before (2007-2009) and after (2010-2017) study with time series design was performed. Pre-intervention, physicians were shown passive alerts for hypokalaemia in the electronic health records. During the intervention period, in addition to these passive alerts, a pharmacist provided the physician with a specific advice on patients with untreated hypokalaemia, guided by the generated alerts. Unique patients >18 years with SPL <2.9 mmol/L measured at least 24 hours after hospitalization in whom no potassium supplementation was initiated within 4 hours after measurement and normalization of SPL was not achieved within these 4 hours were included. Haemodialysis patients were excluded. The percentage of hypokalaemic patients with a subsequent prescription for potassium supplementation, time to subsequent potassium supplementation prescription, the percentage of patients who achieved normokalaemia (SPL ≥ 3.0 mmol/L), time to achieve normokalaemia and total duration of hospitalization were compared. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 693 patients were included, of whom 278 participated in the intervention phase. The percentage of patients prescribed supplementation as well as time to prescription improved from 76.0% in 31.1 hours to 92.0% in 11.3 hours (P < .01). Time to achieve SPL ≥3.0 mmol/L improved, P < .009. No changes, however, were observed in the percentage of patients who achieved normokalaemia or time to reach normokalaemia, 87.5% in 65.2 hours pre-intervention compared to 90.2% (P = .69) in 64.0 hours (P = .71) in the intervention group. A non-significant decrease of 8.2 days was observed in the duration of hospitalization: 25.4 compared to 17.2 days (P = .29). WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Combining CDSS alerting with a pharmacist evaluation is an effective method to improve response rate, time to supplementation and time to initial improvement, defined as SPL ≥3.0 mmol/L. However, it showed no significant effect on the percentage of patients achieving normokalaemia, time to normokalaemia or hospitalization. The discrepancy between rapid supplementation and improvement on the one hand and failure to improve time to normokalaemia on the other warrants further study.

Crisis checklists for in-hospital emergencies: expert consensus, simulation testing and recommendations for a template determined by a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary learning collaborative.

BACKGROUND: 'Failure to rescue' of hospitalized patients with deteriorating physiology on general wards is caused by a complex array of organisational, technical and cultural failures including a lack of standardized team and individual expected responses and actions. The aim of this study using a learning collaborative method was to develop consensus recomendations on the utility and effectiveness of checklists as training and operational tools to assist in improving the skills of general ward staff on the effective rescue of patients with abnormal physiology. METHODS: A scoping study of the literature was followed by a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary international learning collaborative. We sought to achieve a consensus on procedures and clinical simulation technology to determine the requirements, develop and test a safe using a checklist template that is rapidly accessible to assist in emergency management of common events for general ward use. RESULTS: Safety considerations about deteriorating patients were agreed upon and summarized. A consensus was achieved among an international group of experts on currently available checklist formats performing poorly in simulation testing as first responders in general ward clinical crises. The Crisis Checklist Collaborative ratified a consensus template for a general ward checklist that provides a list of issues for first responders to address (i.e. 'Check In'), a list of prompts regarding common omissions (i.e. 'Stop & Think'), and, a list of items required for the safe "handover" of patients that remain on the general ward (i.e. 'Check Out'). Simulation usability assessment of the template demonstrated feasibility for clinical management of deteriorating patients. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency checklists custom-designed for general ward patients have the potential to guide the treatment speed and reliability of responses for emergency management of patients with abnormal physiology while minimizing the risk of adverse events. Interventional trials are needed.

Procedural sedation in the emergency department by Dutch emergency physicians: a prospective multicentre observational study of 1711 adults.

OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience performing ED procedural sedation in a country where emergency medicine (EM) is a relatively new specialty. METHODS: This is a prospective observational study of adult patients undergoing procedural sedation by emergency physicians (EPs) or EM residents in eight hospitals in the Netherlands. Data were collected on a standardised form, including patient characteristics, sedative and analgesic used, procedural success, adverse events (classified according to World SIVA) and rescue interventions. RESULTS: 1711 adult cases were included from 2006 to 2013. Propofol, midazolam and esketamine (S+ enantiomer of ketamine) were the most used sedatives (63%, 29% and 8%). We had adverse event data on all patients. The overall adverse event rate was 11%, mostly hypoxia or apnoea. There was no difference in adverse event rate between EPs and EM residents. However, there was a significantly higher success rate of the procedure when EPs did the procedural sedation (92% vs 84%). No moderate (unplanned hospital admission or escalation of care) or sentinel SIVA outcomes occurred (pulmonary aspiration syndrome, death or permanent neurological deficit). CONCLUSION: Adverse events during procedural sedation occurred in 11% of patients. There were no moderate or sentinel outcomes. All events could be managed by the sedating physician. In a country where EM is a relatively new specialty, procedural sedation appears to be safe when performed by EPs or trained EM residents and has comparable adverse event rates to international studies.

Development of a text mining algorithm for identifying adverse drug reactions in electronic health records.

Objective: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant healthcare concern. They are often documented as free text in electronic health records (EHRs), making them challenging to use in clinical decision support systems (CDSS). The study aimed to develop a text mining algorithm to identify ADRs in free text of Dutch EHRs. Materials and Methods: In Phase I, our previously developed CDSS algorithm was recoded and improved upon with the same relatively large dataset of 35 000 notes (Step A), using R to identify possible ADRs with Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terms and the related Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) (Step B). In Phase II, 6 existing text-mining R-scripts were used to detect and present unique ADRs, and positive predictive value (PPV) and sensitivity were observed. Results: In Phase IA, the recoded algorithm performed better than the previously developed CDSS algorithm, resulting in a PPV of 13% and a sensitivity of 93%. For The sensitivity for serious ADRs was 95%. The algorithm identified 58 additional possible ADRs. In Phase IB, the algorithm achieved a PPV of 10%, a sensitivity of 86%, and an F-measure of 0.18. In Phase II, four R-scripts enhanced the sensitivity and PPV of the algorithm, resulting in a PPV of 70%, a sensitivity of 73%, an F-measure of 0.71, and a 63% sensitivity for serious ADRs. Discussion and Conclusion: The recoded Dutch algorithm effectively identifies ADRs from free-text Dutch EHRs using R-scripts and MedDRA/SNOMED-CT. The study details its limitations, highlighting the algorithm's potential and significant improvements.

Biplanar versus conventional two-dimensional ultrasound guidance for radial artery catheterisation.

Background: Ultrasound guidance increases first-pass success rates and decreases the number of cannulation attempts and complications during radial artery catheterisation but it is debatable whether short-, long-, or oblique-axis imaging is superior for obtaining access. Three-dimensional (3D) biplanar ultrasound combines both short- and long-axis views with their respective benefits. This study aimed to determine whether biplanar imaging would improve the accuracy of radial artery catheterisation compared with conventional 2D imaging. Methods: This before-and-after trial included adult patients who required radial artery catheterisation for elective cardiothoracic surgery. The participating anaesthesiologists were experienced in 2D and biplanar ultrasound-guided vascular access. The primary endpoint was successful catheterisation in one skin break without withdrawals. Secondary endpoints were the numbers of punctures and withdrawals, scanning and procedure times, needle visibility, perceived mental effort of the operator, and posterior wall puncture or other mechanical complications. Results: From November 2021 until April 2022, 158 patients were included and analysed (2D=75, biplanar=83), with two failures to catheterise in each group. First-pass success without needle redirections was 58.7% in the 2D group and 60.2% in the biplanar group (difference=1.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -14.0%-17.1%; P=0.84), and first-pass success within one skin break was 77.3% in the 2D group vs 81.9% in the biplanar group (difference=4.6%; 95% CI, 8.1%-17.3%; P=0.473). None of the secondary endpoints differed significantly. Conclusions: Biplanar ultrasound guidance did not improve success rates nor other performance measures of radial artery catheterisation. The additional visual information acquired with biplanar imaging did not offer any benefit. Clinical trial registration: N9687 (Dutch Trial Register).

Combining text mining with clinical decision support in clinical practice: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Combining text mining (TM) and clinical decision support (CDS) could improve diagnostic and therapeutic processes in clinical practice. This review summarizes current knowledge of the TM-CDS combination in clinical practice, including their intended purpose, implementation in clinical practice, and barriers to such implementation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases to identify full-text English language studies published before January 2022 with TM-CDS combination in clinical practice. RESULTS: Of 714 identified and screened unique publications, 39 were included. The majority of the included studies are related to diagnosis (n = 26) or prognosis (n = 11) and used a method that was developed for a specific clinical domain, document type, or application. Most of the studies selected text containing parts of the electronic health record (EHR), such as reports (41%, n = 16) and free-text narratives (36%, n = 14), and 23 studies utilized a tool that had software "developed for the study". In 15 studies, the software source was openly available. In 79% of studies, the tool was not implemented in clinical practice. Barriers to implement these tools included the complexity of natural language, EHR incompleteness, validation and performance of the tool, lack of input from an expert team, and the adoption rate among professionals. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence indicates that the TM-CDS combination may improve diagnostic and therapeutic processes, contributing to increased patient safety. However, further research is needed to identify barriers to implementation and the impact of such tools in clinical practice.

The impact of a notched peripheral intravenous catheter on the first attempt success rate in hospitalized adults: Block-randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION: Peripheral intravenous cannulation is the preferred method to obtain vascular access, but not always successful on the first attempt. Evidence on the impact of the intravenous catheter itself on the success rate is lacking. Faster visualization of blood flashback into the catheter, as a result of a notched needle, is thought to increase first attempt success rate. The current study aimed to assess if inserting a notched peripheral intravenous catheter will increase first attempt cannulation success up to 90%, when compared to inserting a catheter without a notched needle. DESIGN: In this block-randomized trial, adult patients in the intervention group got a notched peripheral intravenous catheter inserted, patients in the control group received a traditional non-notched catheter. The primary objective was the first attempt success rate of peripheral intravenous cannulation. Intravenous cannulation was performed according to practice guidelines and hospital policy. RESULTS: About 328 patients were included in the intervention group and 330 patients in the control group. First attempt success was 85% and 79% for the intervention and control group respectively. First attempt success was remarkably higher in the intervention group regarding patients with a high risk for failed cannulation (29%), when compared to the control group (10%). CONCLUSION: This study was unable to reach a first attempt success of 90%, although first attempt cannulation success was higher in patients who got a notched needle inserted when compared to those who got a non-notched needle inserted, unless a patients individual risk profile for a difficult intravenous access.

Contextualized Drug-Drug Interaction Management Improves Clinical Utility Compared With Basic Drug-Drug Interaction Management in Hospitalized Patients.

Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) frequently trigger adverse drug events or reduced efficacy. Most DDI alerts, however, are overridden because of irrelevance for the specific patient. Basic DDI clinical decision support (CDS) systems offer limited possibilities for decreasing the number of irrelevant DDI alerts without missing relevant ones. Computerized decision tree rules were designed to context-dependently suppress irrelevant DDI alerts. A crossover study was performed to compare the clinical utility of contextualized and basic DDI management in hospitalized patients. First, a basic DDI-CDS system was used in clinical practice while contextualized DDI alerts were collected in the background. Next, this process was reversed. All medication orders (MOs) from hospitalized patients with at least one DDI alert were included. The following outcome measures were used to assess clinical utility: positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), number of pharmacy interventions (PIs)/1,000 MOs, and the median time spent on DDI management/1,000 MOs. During the basic DDI management phase 1,919 MOs/day were included, triggering 220 DDI alerts/1,000 MOs; showing 57 basic DDI alerts/1,000 MOs to pharmacy staff; PPV was 2.8% with 1.6 PIs/1,000 MOs costing 37.2 minutes/1,000 MOs. No DDIs were missed by the contextualized CDS system (NPV 100%). During the contextualized DDI management phase 1,853 MOs/day were included, triggering 244 basic DDI alerts/1,000 MOs, showing 9.6 contextualized DDIs/1,000 MOs to pharmacy staff; PPV was 41.4% (P < 0.01), with 4.0 PIs/1,000 MOs (P < 0.01) and 13.7 minutes/1,000 MOs. The clinical utility of contextualized DDI management exceeds that of basic DDI management.

Acoustic lens improves superficial in-plane ultrasound-guided procedures - The significance of the beam width artefact.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The three-dimensional shape of the ultrasound beam produces a thicker scan plane than most users assume. Viewed longitudinally, a needle placed lateral to a vessel just outside the central scanning plane can be displayed incorrectly in the ultrasound image as if placed intravascularly. This phenomenon is called the beam width artefact, also known as the elevation or slice thickness artefact. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the potential negative effect of the beam width artefact on the performance of in-plane ultrasound-guided vascular access procedures, and to provide a solution. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blinded study SETTING: Department of anaesthesiology and intensive care of a teaching hospital PARTICIPANTS: 31 experienced (anesthesiologists and intensivists) and 36 inexperienced (anesthetic nurses) ultrasound users INTERVENTIONS: We developed an acoustic lens that narrows the scan plane to reduce the beam width artefact. The lens was tested in a simulated vascular access study. MEASUREMENTS: The primary endpoint was first pass success. Secondary endpoints were the number of punctures and needle withdrawals, procedure time, needle visibility and operator satisfaction. MAIN RESULTS: First pass success was highly enhanced using the acoustic lens, with a success rate of 92.5% versus 68.7% without the lens (difference 23.8, 95% confidence interval 11.0-35.3, p < 0.001). The total number of punctures needed to obtain intravenous access was also reduced using the lens (1.10 versus 1.38, difference 0.27, 95% CI 0.11-0.43, p = 0.002). Procedure time, needle withdrawals, needle visibility and satisfaction were similar. Both inexperienced and experienced users benefited from the acoustic lens. CONCLUSIONS: The beam width artefact has a significant effect on the performance of ultrasound-guided needle-based procedures. The efficacy of in-plane superficial vascular access procedures can be enhanced by narrowing the imaging plane using an acoustic lens.

Modulation of pulse travel and blood flow during cuff inflation- An experimental case study.

The blood pressure (BP) cuff can be used to modulate blood flow and propagation of pressure pulse along the artery. In our previous work, we researched methods to adapt cuff modulation techniques for pulse transit time vs. BP calibration and for measurement of other hemodynamic indices of potential interest to critical care, such as arterial compliance. A model characterized the response of the vasculature located directly under the cuff, but assumed that no significant changes occur in the distal vasculature.This study has been tailored to gain insights into the response of distal BP and pulse transit time to cuff inflation. Invasive BP data collected downstream from the cuff demonstrates that highly dynamic processes occur in the distal arm during cuff inflation. Mean arterial pressure increases in the distal artery by up to 20 mmHg, leading to a decrease in pulse transit time of up to 20 ms. Clinical Relevance: Such significant changes need to be taken into account in order to improve non-invasive BP estimations and to enable inference of other hemodynamic parameters from vasculature response to cuff inflation. A simple model is developed in order to reproduce the observed behaviors. The lumped-parameter model demonstrates opportunities for cuff modulation measurements which can reveal information on parameters such as systemic resistance, distal arterial, venous compliances and artery-vein interaction.

A modelling framework for assessment of arterial compliance by fusion of oscillometry and pulse wave velocity information.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Measurement of arterial compliance is recognized as important for clinical use and for enabling better understanding of circulatory system regulation mechanisms. Estimation of arterial compliance involves either a direct measure of the ratio between arterial volume and pressure changes or an inference from the pulse wave velocity (PWV). In this study we demonstrate an approach to assess arterial compliance by fusion of these two information sources. The approach is based on combining oscillometry as used for blood pressure inference and PWV measurements based on ECG/PPG. Enabling reliable arterial compliance measurements will contribute to the understanding of regulation mechanisms of the arterial tree, possibly establishing arterial compliance as a key measure relevant in hemodynamic monitoring. METHODS: A measurement strategy, a physiological model, and a framework based on Bayesian principles are developed for measuring changes in arterial compliance based on combining oscillometry and PWV data. A simulation framework is used to study and validate the algorithm and measurement principle in detail, motivated by previous experimental findings. RESULTS: Simulations demonstrate the possibility of inferring arterial compliance via fusion of simultaneously acquired volume/pressure relationships and PWV data. In addition, the simulation framework demonstrates how Bayesian principles can be used to handle low signal - to - noise ratio and partial information loss. CONCLUSIONS: The developed simulation framework shows the feasibility of the proposed approach for assessment of arterial compliance by combining multiple data sources. This represents a first step towards integration of arterial compliance measurements in hemodynamic monitoring using existing clinical technology. The Bayesian approach is of particular relevance for such patient monitoring settings, where measurements are repeated frequently, context is relevant, and data is affected by artefacts. In addition, the simulation framework is necessary for future clinical-study design, in order to determine device specifications and the extent to which noise affects the inference process.

Implementation of an automated early warning scoring system in a surgical ward: Practical use and effects on patient outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Early warning scores (EWS) are being increasingly embedded in hospitals over the world due to their promise to reduce adverse events and improve the outcomes of clinical patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical use of an automated modified EWS (MEWS) for patients after surgery. METHODS: This study conducted retrospective before-and-after comparative analysis of non-automated and automated MEWS for patients admitted to the surgical high-dependency unit in a tertiary hospital. Operational outcomes included number of recorded assessments of the individual MEWS elements, number of complete MEWS assessments, as well as adherence rate to related protocols. Clinical outcomes included hospital length of stay, in-hospital and 28-day mortality, and ICU readmission rate. RESULTS: Recordings in the electronic medical record from the control period contained 7929 assessments of MEWS elements and were performed in 320 patients. Recordings from the intervention period contained 8781 assessments of MEWS elements in 273 patients, of which 3418 were performed with the automated EWS system. During the control period, 199 (2.5%) complete MEWS were recorded versus 3991 (45.5%) during intervention period. With the automated MEWS systems, the percentage of missing assessments and the time until the next assessment for patients with a MEWS of ≥2 decreased significantly. The protocol adherence improved from 1.1% during the control period to 25.4% when the automated MEWS system was involved. There were no significant differences in clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Implementation of an automated EWS system on a surgical high dependency unit improves the number of complete MEWS assessments, registered vital signs, and adherence to the EWS hospital protocol. However, this positive effect did not translate into a significant decrease in mortality, hospital length of stay, or ICU readmissions. Future research and development on automated EWS systems should focus on data management and technology interoperability.

Paediatric procedural sedation and analgesia by emergency physicians in a country with a recent establishment of emergency medicine.

OBJECTIVES: Paediatric patients receive less procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in the emergency department compared with adults, especially in countries where emergency medicine is at an early stage of development. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the adverse events and efficacy of paediatric PSA in a country with a recent establishment of emergency medicine and to describe which factors aided implementation. METHODS: This is a prospective, multicentre, observational study of paediatric patients undergoing PSA by the first trained emergency physicians (EPs) in The Netherlands. A standardized data collection form was used at all participating hospitals to collect data on adverse events, amnesia, pain scores, and procedure completion. A survey was used to interpret which factors had aided PSA implementation. RESULTS: We recorded 351 paediatric PSA. The mean age was 9.5 years (95% confidence interval: 9.1-10.0). Esketamine was most frequently used (42.4%), followed by propofol (34.7%). The adverse event rate was low (3.0%). Amnesia was present in 86.8%. The median pain score was 2 (out of 10) for patients without amnesia. Procedures were successfully completed in 93.9% of the cases. CONCLUSION: Paediatric PSA provided by the first EPs in The Netherlands showed appropriate levels of sedation and analgesia with a high rate of procedure completion and a low rate of adverse events. Our paper suggests that EPs provided with a proper infrastructure of mentorship, training and guidelines can implement effective paediatric PSA.

RegressionExplorer: Interactive Exploration of Logistic Regression Models with Subgroup Analysis.

We present RegressionExplorer, a Visual Analytics tool for the interactive exploration of logistic regression models. Our application domain is Clinical Biostatistics, where models are derived from patient data with the aim to obtain clinically meaningful insights and consequences. Development and interpretation of a proper model requires domain expertise and insight into model characteristics. Because of time constraints, often a limited number of candidate models is evaluated. RegressionExplorer enables experts to quickly generate, evaluate, and compare many different models, taking the workflow for model development as starting point. Global patterns in parameter values of candidate models can be explored effectively. In addition, experts are enabled to compare candidate models across multiple subpopulations. The insights obtained can be used to formulate new hypotheses or to steer model development. The effectiveness of the tool is demonstrated for two uses cases: prediction of a cardiac conduction disorder in patients after receiving a heart valve implant and prediction of hypernatremia in critically ill patients.

Towards patient-related information needs.

The quality of health care depends, among other factors, on the quality of a physician's domain knowledge. Since it is impossible to keep up with all new findings and developments, physicians usually have gaps in their domain knowledge. To handle exceptional cases, access to the full range of medical literature is required. The specific literature needed for appropriate treatment of the patient is described by a physician's information need. Physicians are often unaware of their information needs. To support them, this paper presents a first step towards automatically formulating patient-related information needs. We start investigating how we can model a physician's information needs in general. Then we propose an approach to instantiate the model into a representation of a physician's information needs using the patient data as stored in a medical record. Our experiments show that this approach is feasible. Since the number of formulated patient-related information needs is rather high, it has to be reduced. To reduce the number of formulated information needs we propose the use of additional knowledge. Four types of knowledge are discussed, viz. (a) knowledge about temporal aspects, (b) domain knowledge, (c) knowledge about a physician's specialism, and (d) a user model. Future research has to clarify which type of knowledge (or combination thereof) is most appropriate for our purpose. It is expected that the resultant set of information needs will have a manageable size and contributes to the quality of health care.