Bedside Evaluation Research Articles

Development and reliability of a new system for bedside evaluation of non-volitional knee extension force

PurposeNeuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a widely-used technique for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Here we developed and tested the reliability of a new NMES-dynamometer system for bedside evaluation of knee extensor muscle function. Materials and methodsThirty-two healthy participants (16 men, 16 women; 27±5 years) completed two testing sessions, 7 days apart. On day 1, a single experienced rater, who repeated the evaluation on day 2 with two other raters, completed a standardized testing procedure. Participants were placed supine, with knees flexed and legs connected to the dynamometer. Maximal voluntary knee extensor isometric force (MVF) and supramaximal twitch force (TwF) were obtained. ResultsHigh intra-rater intraclass correlation coefficients were observed for both MVF (0.91) and TwF (0.94). MVF and TwF standard error of measurements (8.2%, 5.9%) and minimal detectable changes (16%, 11.6%) were low compared to mean values. High intraclass correlation coefficients were also observed for inter-rater comparisons of MVF (0.89) and TwF (0.86). Standard errors of measurements (MVF: 8.7%, TwF: 5.5%) and minimal detectable changes (MVF: 17.2%, TwF: 10.8%) were similar to intra-rater comparisons. ConclusionThe good reliability of the novel NMES-dynamometer system suggests it as an appropriate tool for the bedside evaluation of knee extensor muscle function.

Nasal Feeding Tubes Are Associated with Fewer Adverse Events than Feeding via Ostomy in Hospitalized Patients Receiving Enteral Nutrition

BackgroundSurgical feeding ostomies (eg, gastrostomy) have become required by many nursing facilities for all patients receiving enteral nutrition, whether for short- or long-term use. These policies lack supportive evidence. Comparisons of adverse event rates between surgical and natural orifice tubes are few and lacking in the inpatient setting. Additionally, we hypothesize that adverse events related to feeding tubes are underreported. We sought to quantify adverse events to test the relative safety of surgical feeding ostomies and natural orifice (eg. nasogastric or orogastric) feeding tubes in hospitalized patients. MethodsThis was a prospective observational cohort study of enterally fed inpatients using semiweekly focused physical examination, scripted survey, and chart review. ResultsAll tube-fed patients admitted to a large, urban, academic hospital received semiweekly bedside evaluation and chart review over a 9-week period (n = 226 unique patients, mean 6.25 visits each, total 1118 observations). Demographics were comparable between 148 subjects with natural orifice and 113 subjects with surgical feeding tubes. A higher incidence of adverse events was observed with surgical tubes (3.34 vs 1.25 events per 100 subject days, P < .001). Only 50% of all adverse events were documented in the medical record. More patients with surgical tubes were discharged to skilled nursing facilities (58% vs 24%). ConclusionsSurgical feeding tubes are associated with significantly higher in-hospital adverse event rates when compared with natural orifice (nasal or oral) feeding tubes. Policies requiring surgical feeding ostomies should be reevaluated.

Ultrasonographic Assessment of Diaphragmatic Inspiratory Amplitude and Its Association with Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Upper Abdominal Surgery: A Prospective, Longitudinal, Observational Study.

BackgroundDiaphragmatic dysfunction following upper abdominal surgery is less recognized due to a lack of diagnostic modality for bedside evaluation. We used point-of-care ultrasound to evaluate the diaphragmatic inspiratory amplitude (DIA) in upper abdominal surgery for cancer. Our primary hypothesis was DIA would be reduced in the immediate postoperative period in patients with postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). Our aim was to identify an optimal cutoff of DIA for the diagnosis of PPCs.MethodsWe conducted a prospective, observational study in patients aged 18–75 years undergoing elective, upper abdominal oncological surgeries under combined general and epidural anesthesia. Ultrasound evaluation of the diaphragm was done by measuring the DIA in the right and left hemidiaphragms during quiet and deep breathing on the day before surgery and postoperative days (PODs) 1, 2, and 3. Patients were followed up for PPCs until POD 7. The linear mixed-effects model examined the association between DIA and PPCs and other perioperative factors. Receiver-operating characteristics analysis was done to determine the optimal cutoff of DIA in diagnosing PPCs.ResultsDIA measured in the 162 patients showed a significant decrease in their absolute values postoperatively from its preoperative baseline measurement. This decrease in DIA was significantly associated with PPC [right hemidiaphragm, β = −0.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.31 to −0.02, p = 0.001 during quiet breathing; left hemidiaphragm, β = −0.24, 95% CI = −0.44 to −0.04, p = 0.018 and β = −0.40, 95% CI = −0.71 to −0.09, p = 0.012 during quiet and deep breathing, respectively]. A cutoff value of DIA of left hemidiaphragm at 1.3 cm during quiet breathing and 1.6 cm during deep breathing had a sensitivity of 77 and 75%, respectively, in their ability to diagnose PPCs [left hemidiaphragm quiet breathing, area under the curve (AUC): 0.653, 95% CI 0.539–0.768, p = 0.015; left hemidiaphragm deep breathing, AUC: 0.675, 95% CI 0.577–0.773, p = 0.007].ConclusionFollowing upper abdominal surgery, the DIA is decreased and associated with PPCs. DIA of left hemidiaphragm less than 1.3 cm during quiet breathing and 1.6 cm during deep breathing has a sensitivity of 77 and 75%, respectively, in diagnosing PPCs following upper abdominal surgery.How to cite this articleVanamail PV, Balakrishnan K, Prahlad S, Chockalingam P, Dash R, Soundararajan DK. Ultrasonographic Assessment of Diaphragmatic Inspiratory Amplitude and Its Association with Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Upper Abdominal Surgery: A Prospective, Longitudinal, Observational Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(9):1031–1039.

Interventions to prevent aspiration in older adults with dysphagia living in nursing homes: a scoping review

BackgroundDysphagia is highly prevalent condition in older adults living in nursing homes. There is also evidence indicating that aspiration is one of the major health risks for these older adults, which is more likely to result in respiratory infections, aspiration pneumonia and sudden bolus death. Evidence syntheses have demonstrated the effectiveness of interventions for prevention of aspiration among hospitalized older people. The aim of this scoping review is to describe the current spread of interventions to prevent or reduce aspiration in older adults with dysphagia with a specific focus on those who reside in nursing homes.MethodsThe Joanna Briggs Institute methods and PRISMA-ScR guidelines were used to inform this review. MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database and Web of Science were searched for related articles from 2010 to 2020 as well as Chinese databases (CNKI, WANFANG DATA and VIP) and databases for unpublished material. A three-step search strategy was utilized, including the use of citation software to manage search results and de-duplication, abstract review and full-text review by two reviewers. Details of included studies were then extracted using a prepared data extraction tool. The resulting map was displayed in tabular form along with a narrative summary.ResultsAlthough 637 articles were located, 19 papers were included in the final analysis. Interventions to prevent aspiration in older adults with dysphagia living in nursing homes included: more bedside evaluation, modification of dietary, creating an appropriate environment for swallowing, providing appropriate feeding assistance, appropriate posture or maneuver for swallowing, appropriate rehabilitation program, medication treatment, and stimulation treatment.ConclusionNursing homes, particularly those in developing countries, require more support for staff training and necessary equipment. Professional interventions provided by speech and language therapists are still limited in the setting of nursing homes. Modification of dietary was the most frequently used intervention to prevent or reduce aspiration. Multi-disciplinary interventions had the best results for aspiration management, but for many nursing homes, access to such teams is limited. Nursing home residents respond well to person-centered interventions that have a comprehensive consideration of their degree of aspiration risk, health condition, individual feelings and cognitive state.

The role of the Sapienza GLObal Bedside Evaluation of Swallowing after Stroke (GLOBE-3S) in the prevention of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP)

Background and purposeStroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) affects 10 to 38% of patients in the acute phase of stroke. Stroke patients diagnosed with dysphagia have an 11-fold higher risk of developing SAP. Thus, identifying dysphagic patients through a highly accurate screening tool might be crucial in reducing the incidence of SAP. We present a case–control study designed to evaluate efficacy in reducing the risk of SAP between two swallowing screening tools, the classic water swallow test (WST) and a recently validated tool such as the GLOBE-3S (the Sapienza GLObal Bedside Evaluation of Swallowing after Stroke), which is a highly sensitive swallowing screening tool particularly accurate in detecting silent aspiration as well.MethodsWe analyzed the occurrence of dysphagia in 100 acute stroke patients distributed in two groups: half were screened with WST and the other half with GLOBE-3S.ResultsDysphagia was diagnosed in 28 patients. The main result is that, among patients who passed the dysphagia screenings, none of those screened with the GLOBE-3S method developed pneumonia compared to 31.82% in the WST group. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) showed that NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and the dysphagia screening method (i.e., GLOBE-3S vs. WST) were the two main factors in the SAP’s predicting model and the only significant ones per se.ConclusionsThe new GLOBE-3S screening test can reduce the risk of SAP compared to WST.

Aspiration of a partial denture after an ischemic stroke.

A bedside evaluation inaccurately led to the conclusion that it was safe to advance to a dysphagia diet.

Amplitude integrated EEG: how much it helps in prognostication in neonatal encephalopathy?

Introduction Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is associated with a high risk of adverse neurological outcomes. Several neurodiagnostic tests have been evaluated to predict the prognosis. Amplitude integrated Electroencephalogram (aEEG) is now being commonly used for bedside evaluation of cerebral function. There is limited data on the role of aEEG for prognostication in NE, from resource-limited settings. Objective To evaluate the predictive ability of aEEG for abnormal neurological outcomes in neonatal encephalopathy or neonates with encephalopathy. Methods Neonates above 35 weeks of gestation admitted to NICU in a tertiary care hospital with a diagnosis of encephalopathy were enrolled. Clinical characteristics severity of encephalopathy and seizures were recorded. Amplitude integrated recording was started at admission and continued till recovery of trace to normal or for 10 days. The primary outcome was death or abnormal neurological status at 3–6 months of age. The study was registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2013/05/003612) Results The incidence of NE was 6% of total admission. Moderate and severe encephalopathy occurred in 58 and 39% of babies respectively. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy was the most common cause. Clinical seizures occurred in 91% of cases. An abnormal aEEG trace was observed in 51 (76.1%) infants with NE. For adverse neurological outcomes at an age average of 4.5 months of age, aEEG had a sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV of 100, 54.2, 100, and 77.5, respectively. Conclusions Clinical staging and aEEG has good predictive ability to detect an adverse neurological outcome. aEEG improves the ability to predict abnormal outcome in babies with moderate encephalopathy. Early recovery of aEEG abnormality correlates with better neurodevelopmental outcomes. KEY MESSAGES What’s known: aEEG is a useful modality to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes however data from developing countries is lacking. What’s new: aEEG monitoring in babies in neonatal encephalopathy may improve the prediction of abnormal neurological outcomes in babies with moderate encephalopathy.

Contemporary utility of diagnostic peritoneal aspiration in trauma.

Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) has supplanted diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) as the preferred bedside evaluation for traumatic hemoperitoneum. Diagnostic peritoneal aspiration (DPA) is a simpler, faster modification of DPL with an unclear role in contemporary practice. This study delineated modern roles for DPA and defined its diagnostic yield. All trauma patients presenting to our Level I center who underwent DPA were included (May 2015 to May 2020). Demographics, comorbidities, clinical/injury data, and outcomes were collected. The diagnostic yield and accuracy of DPA were calculated against the criterion standard of hemoperitoneum at exploratory laparotomy or computed tomography scan. In total, 41 patients underwent DPA, typically after blunt trauma (n = 37, 90%). Patients were almost exclusively hypotensive (n = 20, 49%) or in arrest (n = 18, 44%). Most patients had an equivocal or negative FAST and hypotension or return of spontaneous circulation after resuscitative thoracotomy (n = 32, 78%); or had a positive FAST and known cirrhosis (n = 4, 10%). In two (5%) patients, one obese, the catheter failed to access the peritoneal cavity. Diagnostic peritoneal aspiration sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 80%, 100%, 100%, and 90%, with an accuracy of 93%. One (2%) complication, a small bowel injury, occurred. Despite near ubiquitous FAST availability, DPA remains important in diagnosing or excluding hemoperitoneum with exceedingly low rates of failure and complications. Diagnostic peritoneal aspiration is most conclusive when positive, without false positives in this study. Diagnostic peritoneal aspiration was most used among blunt hypotensive or postarrest patients who had an equivocal or negative FAST, in whom the preliminary diagnosis of hemoperitoneum is a critically important decision making branch point. Diagnostic, level III.

Early recovery of frontal EEG slow wave activity during propofol sedation predicts outcome after cardiac arrest

Aim of the studyEEG slow wave activity (SWA) has shown prognostic potential in post-resuscitation care. In this prospective study, we investigated the accuracy of continuously measured early SWA for prediction of the outcome in comatose cardiac arrest (CA) survivors. MethodsWe recorded EEG with a disposable self-adhesive frontal electrode and wireless device continuously starting from ICU admission until 48 h from return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in comatose CA survivors sedated with propofol. We determined SWA by offline calculation of C-Trend® Index describing SWA as a score ranging from 0 to 100. The functional outcome was defined based on Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) at 6 months after the CA to either good (CPC 1–2) or poor (CPC 3–5). ResultsOutcome at six months was good in 67 of the 93 patients. During the first 12 h after ROSC, the median C-Trend Index value was 38.8 (interquartile range 28.0–56.1) in patients with good outcome and 6.49 (3.01–18.2) in those with poor outcome showing significant difference (p < 0.001) at every hour between the groups. The index values of the first 12 h predicted poor outcome with an area under curve of 0.86 (95% CI 0.61−0.99). With a cutoff value of 20, the sensitivity was 83.3% (69.6%–92.3%) and specificity 94.7% (83.4%–99.7%) for categorization of outcome. ConclusionEEG SWA measured with C-Trend Index during propofol sedation offers a promising practical approach for early bedside evaluation of recovery of brain function and prediction of outcome after CA.

Point-of-care ultrasound evaluation of a young male with flank pain.

A 32-year-old male status post laparoscopic appendectomy 2 weeks prior presented to the emergency department with chief complaint of right-sided flank pain over the past 1 day. He denied any other associated symptoms. Vital signs were unremarkable. Physical examination revealed tenderness of the right flank and right lower abdominal quadrant. However, the abdomen was without rebound, guarding, or peritoneal signs. Renal point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was performed at the bedside to evaluate for a possible obstructive urinary process; POCUS demonstrated moderate hydronephrosis of the right kidney (Figure 1A and 1B). Focused abdominal POCUS then was performed to evaluate for possible postoperative complications; POCUS demonstrated a large anechoic fluid collection within the right lower abdomen, most suggestive of an intraabdominal hematoma (Figure 1C and 1D). General surgery was immediately consulted due to the abnormal POCUS findings. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen/pelvis confirmed a 12.6 × 10.9 × 9.3 cm fluid collection located in the right lower abdomen consistent with a postoperative hematoma, with resultant compression of the right ureter causing moderate hydronephrosis of the right kidney (Figure 2). The patient was subsequently brought to the interventional radiology suite for CT-guided hematoma aspiration and surgical drain placement. Obstructive uropathy secondary to post-appendectomy complication of an intraabdominal hematoma. Appendectomy is one of the most common abdominal surgical procedures performed in the United States and worldwide.1, 2 Post-appendectomy complications include surgical site infections, intraabdominal abscesses, ileus, bowel obstructions, adhesions, postoperative bleeding/hematomas, and urinary tract infections.2-4 Rapid diagnosis of postoperative complications is a critical yet challenging task for the emergency physician. POCUS is an invaluable non-invasive imaging modality available to the emergency physician in the bedside evaluation of a multitude of abdominal emergencies.5 To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case describing emergency physician-performed POCUS that identified a rare post-appendectomy complication of obstructive uropathy secondary to an intraabdominal hematoma. Most important, POCUS led to a timely diagnosis in this case, which prompted expeditious surgical consultation and further evaluation with gold-standard CT imaging. This report illustrates the promising role and clinical impact of POCUS as a first-line diagnostic choice in the initial ED assessment of patients with potential postoperative complications. The authors have nothing to disclose. This research was supported in part by HCA Healthcare and/or an HCA Healthcare affiliated entity. The views expressed in this publication represent those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of HCA Healthcare or any of its affiliated entities.

A Review of Adult-Onset Hearing Loss: A Primer for Neurologists.

The goal of this review is to highlight current approaches to diagnosis and treatment for adult-onset hearing loss in patients likely to present to a neurologist's office. The review will discuss primary and secondary causes of acute and chronic hearing loss, and will discuss common situations that can be managed by a neurologist as well as situations that require immediate care and referral for further management by an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon. Hearing screening assessments using mobile applications and tablet devices are now available and can be integrated into many clinical practice settings, including in the evaluation of hearing concerns related to various neurological pathologies. For patients presenting with a sudden worsening in hearing, bedside evaluation, including with objective measures of hearing, can inform neurologists about diagnosis and subsequent management. For patients who present with gradual worsening in hearing, particularly those related to neurologic disorders, hearing care can be an important adjunct to ongoing neurologic care. More commonly encountered, age-related hearing loss is highly prevalent among older adults and may affect overall neurological assessment, including neurocognitive testing, as well as patient-provider communication, patient satisfaction, and care outcomes. Hearing loss is increasingly recognized as a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia. Neurologists can support the hearing health of their patients through the routine use of communication strategies and by integrating simple, low-cost technology with their current clinical practices. Both acute and chronic hearing loss can be a symptom of many conditions managed by neurologists. Few conditions are emergent, requiring immediate referral to and treatment by an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon. Despite the range of hearing interventions available, including hearing aids, over-the-counter devices, and aural rehabilitation, hearing loss is a common and under-treated chronic health condition. By promptly addressing a patient's hearing concerns, neurologists can improve patients' awareness of the deficit and support the overall importance of maintaining sensory health across the life course.

Prognostic nomogram for the severity of acute organophosphate insecticide self-poisoning: a retrospective observational cohort study

ObjectiveTo develop a convenient nomogram for the bedside evaluation of patients with acute organophosphorus poisoning (AOPP).DesignThis was a retrospective study.SettingTwo independent hospitals in northern China, the First Hospital of Jilin...

Neural Tracking of Sound Rhythms Correlates With Diagnosis, Severity, and Prognosis of Disorders of Consciousness.

Effective diagnosis and prognosis of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) provides a basis for family counseling, decision-making, and the design of rehabilitation programs. However, effective and objective bedside evaluation is a challenging problem. In this study, we explored electroencephalography (EEG) response tracking sound rhythms as potential neural markers for DOC evaluation. We analyzed the responses to natural speech and tones modulated at 2 and 41 Hz. At the population level, patients with positive outcomes (DOC-P) showed higher cortical synchronization to modulated tones at 41 Hz compared with patients with negative outcomes (DOC-N). At the individual level, phase coherence to modulated tones at 41 Hz was significantly correlated with Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) and Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E) scores. Furthermore, SVM classifiers, trained using phase coherences in higher frequency bands or combination of the low frequency aSSR and speech tracking responses, performed very well in diagnosis and prognosis of DOC. These findings show that EEG response to auditory rhythms is a potential tool for diagnosis, severity, and prognosis of DOC.

Ultrasound for Non-invasive Assessment and Monitoring of Quadriceps Muscle Thickness in Critically Ill Patients With Acute Kidney Injury.

Background and aims: Critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) undergo major muscle wasting in the first few days of ICU stay. An important concern in this clinical setting is the lack of adequate tools for routine bedside evaluation of the skeletal muscle mass, both for the determination of nutritional status at admission, and for monitoring. In this regard, the present study aims to ascertain if ultrasound (US) is able to detect changes in quadriceps muscle thickness of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) over short periods of time.Methods: This is a prospective observational study with a follow-up at 5 days. All adult patients with AKI hospitalized at the Renal ICU of the Parma University Hospital over 12 months, with a hospital stay before ICU admission no longer than 72 h, and with a planned ICU stay of at least 5 days, were eligible for the study. An experienced investigator assessed quadriceps rectus femoris and vastus intermedius thickness (QRFT and QVIT) at baseline and after 5 days of ICU stay.Results: We enrolled 30 patients with 74 ± 11 years of age and APACHE II score of 22 ± 5. Muscle thickness decreased by 15 ± 13% within the first 5 days of ICU stay (P < 0.001 for all sites as compared to ICU admission). Patients with more severe muscle loss had lower probability of being discharged home (OR: 0.04, 95%CI: 0.00–0.74; P = 0.031).Conclusions: In critically ill patients with AKI, bedside muscle US identifies patients with accelerated muscle wasting.

Frailty is associated with chronic inflammation and pro-inflammatory monocyte subpopulations.

Frail patients with high grade aortic valve stenosis (AS) undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) have an increased mortality. A connection between frailty and inflammation has been suggested. Monocyte subpopulations are associated with both cardiovascular diseases and chronic inflammatory diseases. This study investigates the association of frailty with monocyte subpopulations and systemic inflammatory parameters in elderly patients undergoing TAVI. A total of 120 patients with symptomatic AS was examined. Before TAVI implantation, frailty was assessed by a bedside evaluation (eyeball test). In all patients a flow cytometry analysis has been performed. Monocyte subpopulations were defined as follows: classical (CD14++CD16-), intermediate (CD14++CD16+) and non-classical (CD14+CD16++). Expression of CD11b was measured as a marker for monocyte activation. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin IL-8, as well as CRP were measured with Cytometric Bead Array or standard laboratory methods. 28 out of 120 patients were frail. These patients showed both, signs of elevated chronic systemic inflammation reflected by elevated CRP (3.7 (1.4-5.4) vs. 5.9 (3.7-29.1), p=0.001) and an elevated level of intermediate monocytes (37 (24-54) vs. 53 (47-63), p=0.001). At 6months after TAVI, 19 of 120 patients died, primarily without relevant dysfunction of the implanted aortic valve. Mortality was significantly higher in the frail as compared with non-frail patients (9 of 28 frail patients vs. 10 of 92 non frail patients, p<0.001). A binary logistic regression analysis validated frailty and intermediate monocytes as independent predictors for early mortality after TAVI. Chronic systemic inflammation and increased levels of intermediate monocytes are associated with frailty in old patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. Both the syndrome of frailty and elevated intermediate monocytes showed an association with early mortality after TAVI.

Radiation Injury

Since the development of x-rays in the late 19th century, radiation has increasingly been used for diagnostic imaging and various industrial purposes. The human health consequences of radiation exposure can range from minor asymptomatic exposures to the development of potentially fatal acute radiation sickness depending on the characteristics of the exposure. This review provides an overview of radiation injury, including historical perspective and principles of toxicity; assessment and stabilization (bedside evaluation, supportive care, and empirical therapy); diagnosis (estimation of radiation dose, laboratory assessment, biodosimetry and bioassays, smoke inhalation, and psychiatric sequelae); treatment and disposition (hematologic acute radiation illness, countermeasures and antidotes, gastrointestinal symptoms, fluid and electrolyte management, surgical intervention, local radiation injury, psychiatric treatment, radiation exposure during pregnancy, palliative care, and disposition); and outcomes (carcinogenesis, noncancer effects). Tables include the characteristic of common radioactive isotopes, common radiation dose equations and conversions, prescribing information for colony-stimulating factors, recommended antimicrobial prophylaxis and treatment regimens, and radioisotope decorporation or blocking agents. Figures show types of ionizing radiation, comparison of radiation contamination and exposure, patterns of early lymphocyte response based on radiation dose, the relationship between time to onset of vomiting and radiation dose, and a sample body chart for documentation of radiation contamination. This review contains 5 figures, 5 tables, and 82 references. Key Words: radiation, radiation exposure, radiation sickness, diagnostic imaging, pregnancy, carcinogenesis, toxicity, acute radiation syndrome (ARS)

Bedside Evaluation for Early Sepsis Intervention: Addition of a Sepsis Response Team Leads to Improvement in Sepsis Bundle Compliance.

Sepsis is associated with high morbidity and mortality and high healthcare costs. We hypothesized that a multifaceted quality improvement project would lead to an improvement in compliance with the sepsis "bundles." Patients presenting to the emergency department that met criteria for sepsis at triage triggered notification of an emergency department physician and the sepsis response team in order to facilitate timely completion of the 3-hour bundles. The primary outcome was compliance with the seven sepsis bundle components. Secondary outcomes included all-cause inhospital mortality, hospital length of stay, and time in the emergency department. The study was conducted at a 404-bed tertiary academic medical center over a 2-year period. The study included patients that presented to the emergency department that met criteria for sepsis. The study included 163 patients. Overall compliance with the sepsis bundle was 79% (95% CI, 72-84%). There was significant improvement in comparison with the hospital's historical compliance of 37% (p < 0.001). Compliance with the individual bundle components ranged from 80% to 100%. Sixteen patients died (10%) in the hospital. There was no statistically significant difference between the compliant and noncompliant groups regarding the secondary outcomes of length of stay or inhospital mortality. This study found that implementation of a sepsis response team can improve compliance with completion of sepsis bundles. This indicates that it is feasible to implement a multidisciplinary quality initiative to improve timely treatment of patients with sepsis at an academic center using a resident-driven sepsis response team.

Incidental Laryngeal Findings on Bedside Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing in a Community Hospital Setting.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of laryngeal pathology found during bedside flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in a community hospital. A retrospective study among patients who underwent a bedside FEES examination from May 2018 to May 2019. Criteria to perform a bedside FEES exam were patients who were identified through nursing screening swallowing evaluation and failed a bedside clinical evaluation of swallowing by a speech language pathologist. Patient demographics, recent intubation, duration of intubation, dysphonia complaints, laryngeal exam findings, consultation to otolaryngology and intervention were reviewed. Seventy-five patients had an inpatient bedside FEES. All (100%) had subjective complaints of swallowing. 29 (38.66%) had laryngeal pathology identified on FEES examination including unilateral vocal fold immobility (9), fungal infections (6), vocal fold lesion (3), edema (3), erythema (3), vocal process granuloma (2), unilateral TVF Hemorrhage (1), unilateral TVF paresis (1), suspected superior laryngeal nerve palsy (1). Seventeen of the twenty-nine (58.6%) examinations with incidental laryngeal finding received an otolaryngology referral. Twenty-three of the twenty-nine patients with laryngeal findings (79.3%) were intubated during the hospitalization. Bedside FEES is a well-established method to evaluate swallowing function in an inpatient population. Even in a community hospital, routine FEES examinations led to a high rate of detection of clinically significant laryngeal pathology.

Maternity Nurses' Responses to Maternal Early Warning Criteria.

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of nursing care on implementing perinatal risk-appropriate care in the context of maternal early warning criteria. Medical record review and survey of maternity nurses in a three-hospital system in Wisconsin with two level I hospitals and 1 level III hospital. Seven maternity nurses from the level III hospital conducted the medical record reviews and all maternity staff nurses from two level I hospitals were invited to complete the survey. All medical records in 2017 that met these inclusion criteria: hypertension, sepsis, preeclampsia, hemorrhage, low Apgar scores, and transport were reviewed to assess identification and response time for maternal early warning signs using the Nurses Contribution to Maternal Mortality Worksheet. The survey included questions about influences on the nurses' confidence when interpreting early warning indicators. Thirty-two medical records met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The number of maternal early warning signs recorded ranged from one to four, with a mean of 1.75 indicators. Eighty percent of records documented increased evaluation as a nursing response to the maternal early warning signs. Time-lapse between notifying a provider and bedside evaluation was less than 15 minutes in 54% of cases. Of the 31 eligible nurses, 18 completed the survey (58% response rate). Personal knowledge (90%) was reported by nurses as being the greatest influence on nursing confidence. Sixty-nine percent of nurses reported not receiving patient information from team members at the transporting hospital. A systematic record review by frontline nurses can monitor identification and response to maternal early warning signs. Feedback on patient transports can reinforce nurses' decision-making that has the potential to improve responsiveness to clinical warning signs.

Bedside evaluation of deglutition

Bedside evaluation of deglutition