Searching for answers: How well do depression websites answer the public’s questions about treatment choices?

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate websites providing information on treatment for depression to the public, and to evaluate changes in the quality of website information over time.

EEG enhancement during electrosurgery using an optical fibre

The paper considers the limiting factors in EEG enhancement in the presence of electrosurgery interference and presents a design for a useful fibre-optic EEG monitoring instrument which is free from such problems as electrical shock (micro and macroshock), patient burns and susceptibility to electrosurgery interference associated with conventional EEG monitors.     

Direct blood-pressure measurements: risks,technological evolution and some current problems

The direct measurement of blood pressure has found widespread use in intensive care units, operating rooms, and in emergency departments. Infection, air embolism and thrombosis are some of the risks to patients associated with both the cannulation procedure and with the apparatus used in the blood-pressure measuring process. Although there is constant revision in an attempt to reduce these risks, they cannot be completely eliminated. The need for direct blood-pressure measurements and the physiological effects of air embolism and thrombosis are reviewed. Infection and problems related to the techniques used to insert the catheters are not discussed.     

Quantitative evaluation of hand cranking a roller pump in a crisis management drill

The heart-lung machines for open-heart surgery have improved over the past 50 years; they rarely break down and are almost always equipped with backup batteries. The hand-cranking procedure only becomes necessary when a pump breaks down during perfusion or after the batteries have run out. In this study, the performance of hand cranking a roller pump was quantitatively assessed by an objective method using the ECCSIM-Lite educational simulator system. A roller pump connected to an extracorporeal circuit with an oxygenator and with gravity venous drainage was used. A flow sensor unit consisting of electromagnetic sensors was used to measure arterial and venous flow rates, and a built-in pressure sensor was used to measure the water level in the reservoir. A preliminary study of continuous cranking by a team of six people was conducted as a surprise drill. This system was then used at a perfusion seminar. At the seminar, 1-min hand-cranking drills were conducted by volunteers according to a prepared scenario. The data were calculated on site and trend graphs of individual performances were given to the participants as a handout. Preliminary studies showed that each person's performance was different. Results from 1-min drills showed that good performance was not related to the number of clinical cases experienced, years of practice, or experience in hand cranking. Hand cranking to maintain the target flow rate could be achieved without practice; however, manipulating the venous return clamp requires practice. While the necessity of performing hand cranking during perfusion due to pump failure is rare, we believe that it is beneficial for perfusionists and patients to include hand-cranking practice in periodic extracorporeal circulation crisis management drills because a drill allows perfusionists to mentally rehearse the procedures should such a crisis occur.     

Physics-Driven CFD Modeling of Complex Anatomical Cardiovascular Flows—A TCPC Case Study

Recent developments in medical image acquisition combined with the latest advancements in numerical methods for solving the Navier-Stokes equations have created unprecedented opportunities for developing simple and reliable computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools for meeting patient-specific surgical planning objectives. However, for CFD to reach its full potential and gain the trust and confidence of medical practitioners, physics-driven numerical modeling is required. This study reports on the experience gained from an ongoing integrated CFD modeling effort aimed at developing an advanced numerical simulation tool capable of accurately predicting flow characteristics in an anatomically correct total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC). An anatomical intra-atrial TCPC model is reconstructed from a stack of magnetic resonance (MR) images acquired in vivo. An exact replica of the computational geometry was built using transparent rapid prototyping. Following the same approach as in earlier studies on idealized models, flow structures, pressure drops, and energy losses were assessed both numerically and experimentally, then compared. Numerical studies were performed with both a first-order accurate commercial software and a recently developed, second-order accurate, in-house flow solver. The commercial CFD model could, with reasonable accuracy, capture global flow quantities of interest such as control volume power losses and pressure drops and time-averaged flow patterns. However, for steady inflow conditions, both flow visualization experiments and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements revealed unsteady, complex, and highly 3D flow structures, which could not be captured by this numerical model with the available computational resources and additional modeling efforts that are described. Preliminary time-accurate computations with the in-house flow solver were shown to capture for the first time these complex flow features and yielded solutions in good agreement with the experimental observations. Flow fields obtained were similar for the studied total cardiac output range (1–3 l/min); however hydrodynamic power loss increased dramatically with increasing cardiac output, suggesting significant energy demand at exercise conditions. The simulation of cardiovascular flows poses a formidable challenge to even the most advanced CFD tools currently available. A successful prediction requires a two-pronged, physics-based approach, which integrates high-resolution CFD tools and high-resolution laboratory measurements.     

A computerized decision support system for patient selection in dental education

A computerized decision support system is presented. The system is used to aid in the situation of patient selection for the purpose of dental education and utilizes the PERT/CPM methodology and decision tables. It runs on a microcomputer and written in Basic. The input is a list of patient's needs, and the output is a tentative treatment plan, the chair time needed to complete the treatment, its cost, and the probability that the student will finish it on time.     

Trying to stop smoking: Effects of perceived addiction,attributions for failure,and expectancy of success

This paper reports the results of a postal questionnaire completed by 2343 smokers who had contacted a television company for help with stopping smoking. Of these, 1848 (78.9%) completed a follow-up questionnaire 1 year later. This indicated that 797 had tried to stop, 709 had tried to cut down, and 164 had become abstinent. Analyses show that the intention to try to stop smoking was dependent not only on the perceived health benefit, but also on the subjects' confidence that they would succeed if they tried to stop. As predicted by Weiner's [(1979). J. Educ. Psychol.71: 3–25] model of achievement motivation, those who attributed other smokers' failures at quitting to stable factors had lower expectancies of success, as had those who saw themselves as more addicted. When the follow-up data are considered, reported attempts at quitting were strongly related to previously declared intentions, and reported abstinence was related to previous confidence (expectancy of success) and perceived addiction. There is no support for hypotheses concerning self-other differences in attribution, or defensive attribution, in subjects' attributions for their own failures at cessation. Implications for antismoking interventions are discussed.This research was facilitated to various extents by grants from the British Council, the Department of Health and Social Security, the Medical Research Council, and the Social Science Research Council, London. When the data were collected, all authors were at the Addiction Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, University of London.     

ECLIPS: An extended clinical laboratory information processing system

The clinical laboratory is regarded as a component of the medical care system extending from physician to laboratory staff and back to physician. From this concept a computer-based system of laboratory information is derived, emphasizing: (1) total laboratory responsibility for the test and its request, and (2) physician-oriented output reports.     

Patient safety unit for a hot-film anemometer,used for blood-velocity determination in humans

An inexpensive patient safety unit for a constant temperature hot-film anemometer is described. Both the so-called ‘electrical hazard’ and the thermal risk, which is special for the anemometer, have been eliminated.     

病历、电子病历与中医电子病历

本文从中医病历的历史演化，西医病历的发展过程出发，对中西医病历的特点进行了分析，并对电子病历及中医电子病历作了一些简单的介绍。