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Fetal electrocardiogram plus heart rate recording for fetal monitoring during labour.

BACKGROUND: It is thought that adding fetal electrocardiography (ECG) to cardiotocography (CTG) alone may provide better information about fetal heart activity. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of simultaneous recording of fetal electrocardiographic waveforms plus conventional cardiotocography, with cardiotocography alone, during labour. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials of electrocardiogram waveform analysis with or without cardiotocography during labour. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Trial quality was independently assessed by two reviewers. Data extraction was done by one reviewer and checked by the second reviewer. Study authors were contacted for additional information. MAIN RESULTS: One study of 2434 pregnant women was included. This trial was of sound methodological quality. The number of operative deliveries for fetal distress was reduced by half in the electrocardiographic waveform and cardiotocography group (odds ratio 0.53, 95% confidence interval 0.39 to 0.73). There was no apparent effect on the rate of operative delivery for poor progress of labour (odds ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 0.87 to 1.27). The use of the electrocardiographic waveform analysis monitor had no obvious effect on the condition of the newborn. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the fetal electrocardiographic waveform during labour may be associated with reduced obstetric intervention without jeopardising fetal outcome.

Cardiotocography↗

Guidance of visual reaching with the aid of a TV monitor: the effects of monitor position and of left/right and up/down reversals of the image in relation to age.

Children, aged 2-9 years, were seated alongside a wall containing an opening through which they could reach with their preferred hand. Targets ("ink blots"), which could not be felt, were attached to the other (rear) side of the wall, around the opening. The child could see directly neither the target nor its hand beyond the front side of the wall; but both were visible on a TV monitor. The image on the screen of the monitor originated from a camera viewing the rear (target) side of the wall at the level of the central opening. The monitor screen was either (a) parallel to the wall, but rotated 180 degrees with respect to the axis of the camera, i.e. facing the camera; or (b) at 90 degrees to the wall; or (c) in a position similar to (a) but visible in a mirror attached to the front side of the wall and therefore in effect "aligned" with the axis of the camera. The image the child saw was either (1) electronically unswitched, i.e. when the target was towards the east on the wall it was to the west on the monitor in monitor position (a), or to the north in position (b), or to the "east" in position (c); or (2) left/right reversed relative to (1); or (3) up/down reversed relative to (1); or (4) both left/right and up/down reversed. The dependent variable was the time taken for the child to place the palm of the hand over the target (time was measured to 0.1 sec on video-recorder with a superimposed time display). Position of the monitor, comparing conditions (a)-(c), gave only minor, perhaps age-related, effects. Left/right reversals were easier than up/down reversals under monitor positions (a) and (b), but not under (c); but both reversals could be achieved by age 3 or older; hardest was condition (4). However, with monitor positions (a) and (b) children, at all ages we tested, found condition (1) ("east gives west/north") easier than (2) ("east gives east/south"), whereas for adults these conditions were equally easy, or they found (2) easier than (1); but with monitor position (c) condition (1), now "east gives east", was easiest. Moreover, the claim that chimpanzees but not monkeys can achieve accurate reaching under the conditions varied in this study seems premature: the chimpanzees may have made use of strategies based on uncontrolled cues.

Attention↗

Do we monitor enough? We monitor too much.

Not only may we monitor too much, we also may monitor improperly. By so doing we divert attention from the patient and the anesthetic and thereby often decrease the quality of care. Furthermore, the teaching of residents can be impeded by an overemphasis on monitoring, resulting in a wrong sense of values. The cost of monitoring is high, not only in financial terms, but also in terms of the time devoted to machines, electrodes, and sensors, and in terms of complications such as shearing, infections, vasospasm, hematomas, and even fatal hemorrhage. Not all monitoring is bad, however. Oxygen, temperature, blood pressure, and the electrocardiogram should be monitored, but we must avoid a lavish concept that monitoring will solve all our problems and eliminate the need for proper personal attention. Most important, we must avoid the notion that more monitoring is categorically better.

Anesthesia, General↗

Monitoring long-term ecological changes through the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network: science-based and policy relevant.

Ecological monitoring and its associated research programs have often provided answers to various environmental management issues. In the face of changing environmental conditions, ecological monitoring provides decision-makers with reliable information as they grapple with maintaining a sustainable economy and healthy environment. The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) is a national ecological monitoring network consisting of (1) about 100 case study sites across the country characterized by long-term multi-disciplinary environmental work conducted by a multitude of agencies (142 partners and counting); (2) a variety of less comprehensive yet more extensive monitoring sites; (3) a network where core monitoring variables of ecosystem change are measured; and (4) geo-referenced environmental observations. Environment Canada is the co-ordinating partner for the network through the EMAN Co-ordinating Office. EMAN's mission is to focus a scientifically-sound, policy-relevant ecosystem monitoring and research network based on (a) stabilizing a network of case-study sites operated by a variety of partners, and (b) developing a number of cooperative dispersed monitoring initiatives in order to deliver unique and needed goods and services. These goods and services include: (1) an efficient and cost-effective early warning system which detects, describes and reports on changes in Canadian ecosystems at a national or ecozone scale; and (2) cross-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional assessments of ecosystem status, trends and processes. The early warning system and assessments of ecosystem status, trends and processes provide Environment Canada and partner organizations with timely information that facilitates increasingly adaptive policies and priority setting. Canadians are also informed of changes and trends occurring in Canadian ecosystems and, as a result, are better able to make decisions related to conservation and sustainability.

Canada↗

"Threshold-level" multipulse transcranial electrical stimulation of motor cortex for intraoperative monitoring of spinal motor tracts: description of method and comparison to somatosensory evoked potential monitoring.

UNLABELLED: Numerous methods have been pursued to evaluate function in central motor pathways during surgery in the anesthetized patient. At this time, no standard has emerged, possibly because each of the methods described to date requires some degree of compromise and/or lacks sensitivity. OBJECT: The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a protocol for intraoperative monitoring of spinal motor conduction that: 1) is safe; 2) is sensitive and specific to motor pathways; 3) provides immediate feedback; 4) is compatible with anesthesia requirements; 5) allows monitoring of spontaneous and/or nerve root stimulus-evoked electromyography; 6) requires little or no involvement of the surgical team; and 7) requires limited equipment beyond that routinely used for somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring. Using a multipulse electrical stimulator designed for transcranial applications, the authors have developed a protocol that they term "threshold-level" multipulse transcranial electrical stimulation (TES). METHODS: Patients considered at high risk for postoperative deficit were studied. After anesthesia had been induced and the patient positioned, but prior to incision, "baseline" measures of SSEPs were obtained as well as the minimum (that is, threshold-level) TES voltage needed to evoke a motor response from each of the muscles being monitored. A brief, high-frequency pulse train (three pulses; 2-msec interpulse interval) was used for TES in all cases. Data (latency and amplitude for SSEP; threshold voltage for TES) were collected at different times throughout the surgical procedure. Postoperative neurological status, as judged by evaluation of sensory and motor status, was compared with intraoperative SSEP and TES findings for determination of the sensitivity and specificity of each electrophysiological monitoring technique. Of the 34 patients enrolled, 32 demonstrated TES-evoked responses in muscles innervated at levels caudal to the lesion when examined after anesthesia induction and positioning but prior to incision (that is, baseline). In contrast, baseline SSEPs could be resolved in only 25 of the 34 patients. During surgery, significant changes in SSEP waveforms were noted in 12 of these 25 patients, and 10 patients demonstrated changes in TES thresholds. Fifteen patients experienced varying degrees and durations of postoperative neurological deficit. Intraoperative changes in TES thresholds accurately predicted each instance of postoperative motor weakness without error, but failed to predict four instances of postoperative sensory deficit. Intraoperative SSEP monitoring was not 100% accurate in predicting postoperative sensory status and failed to predict five instances of postoperative motor deficit. As a result of intraoperative TES findings, the surgical plan was altered or otherwise influenced in six patients (roughly 15% of the sample population), possibly limiting the extent of postoperative motor deficit experienced by these patients. CONCLUSIONS: This novel method for intraoperative monitoring of spinal motor conduction appears to meet all of the goals outlined above. Although the risk of postoperative motor deficit is relatively low for the majority of spine surgeries (for example, a simple disc), high-risk procedures, such as tumor resection, correction of vascular abnormalities, and correction of major deformities, should benefit from the virtually immediate and accurate knowledge of spinal motor conduction provided by this new monitoring approach.

Adolescent↗

Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of various passive monitors and active monitors for industrial hygiene sampling.

A framework for evaluating passive or active industrial hygiene air sampling monitors on a cost-effectiveness basis is described. Five passive monitors and one active monitor (charcoal tube with pump) were compared in several hypothetical scenarios. Using certain assumptions regarding method validation costs, sampling equipment costs, and labor costs, both a per sample cost and a total annual cost were calculated for each type of sampling monitor as a function of total samples taken per year. The results of this study indicate that even when the additional expense of full validation of the passive sampling monitor is required, these monitors are more cost-effective than active monitors. A specific type of passive monitor utilizing replaceable capsules is the most cost-effective when more than 500 samples per year are taken.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring during pregnancy with a new, small, easily concealed monitor.

Before establishing the utility of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring during pregnancy, we evaluated the accuracy of a small, easily concealed monitor. The 59 normotensive pregnant patients were between 13 and 26 gestational weeks. For each monitor reading, two trained observers independently and simultaneously recorded blood pressures using a mercury manometer connected to the monitor cuff. Seven readings in three positions (sitting upright, semirecumbent, standing) were performed on each patient. Averaged differences between the observers' and monitor readings varied from -2.2 to -0.9 mm Hg (systolic) and from -2.8 to -0.6 (fifth-phase diastolic), indicating slight but clinically unimportant overestimation by the monitor. Correlations between averaged observers' readings and the monitor ranged from 0.79 to 0.92 (systolic) and from 0.85 to 0.92 (fifth-phase diastolic). Overall, the observers agreed with the monitor within 5 mm Hg on 94% of systolic readings and 99% of fifth-phase diastolic readings. There was no statistically significant difference in accuracy with changes in body position. We conclude that this small, quiet, noninvasive device accurately determined blood pressures during pregnancy.

Adolescent↗

Privacy issues and the monitoring of sumatriptan in the New Zealand Intensive Medicines Monitoring Programme.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to describe how the New Zealand (NZ) Intensive Medicines Monitoring Programme (IMMP) functions in relation to NZ privacy laws and to describe the attitudes of patients to drug safety monitoring and the privacy of their personal and health information. METHODS: The IMMP undertakes prospective observational event monitoring cohort studies on new drugs. The cohorts are established from prescription data and the events are obtained using prescription event monitoring and spontaneous reporting. Personal details, prescribing history of the monitored drugs and adverse events data are stored in databases long term. The NZ Health Information Privacy Code is outlined and the monitoring of sumatriptan is used to illustrate how the IMMP functions in relation to the Code. Patient responses to the programme are described. RESULTS: Sumatriptan was monitored in 14,964 patients and 107,646 prescriptions were recorded. There were 2344 reports received describing 3987 adverse events. A majority of the patients were involved in the recording of events data either personally or by telephone interview. There were no objections to the monitoring process on privacy grounds. CONCLUSION: Given the fact that all reasonable precautions are taken to ensure privacy, patients perceive drug safety to have greater priority than any slight risk of breach of confidentiality concerning their personal details and health information.

Attitude↗

Detection of masses and microcalcifications of breast cancer on digital mammograms: comparison among hard-copy film, 3-megapixel liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors and 5-megapixel LCD monitors: an observer performance study.

The purpose of the study was to compare observer performance in the detection of masses and microcalcifications of breast cancer among hard-copy reading and soft-copy readings using 3-megapixel (3M) and 5-megapixel (5M) liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors. For the microcalcification detection test, we prepared 100 mammograms: 40 surgically verified cancer cases and 60 normal cases. For the mass detection test, we prepared 100 mammograms: 50 cancer cases and 50 normal cases. After six readers assessed both microcalcifications and masses set for each modality, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed. The average A(z)s for mass detection using a hard copy and 3M and 5M LCD monitors were 0.923, 0.927 and 0.920, respectively; there were no significant differences. The average A(z) for microcalcification detection using hard copy, 3M and 5M LCD monitors was 0.977, 0.954 and 0.972, respectively. There were no significant differences, but the P-values between the hard copy and 3M LCD monitor and that between the 3M and 5M LCD monitor were 0.08 and 0.09, respectively. In conclusion, the observer performances for detecting masses of breast cancers were comparable among the hard copy and two LCD monitors; however, soft-copy reading with a 3M LCD monitor showed slightly lower observer performance for detecting microcalcifications of breast cancers than hard-copy or 5M LCD monitor reading.

Adult↗

The validity of two quality assessment instruments: Monitor and Senior Monitor.

This paper is concerned with validity of Monitor and Senior Monitor. The study carried out, which was funded by the Department of Health, attempted to establish the validity of the instruments through a multiple triangulation research design. Monitor and Senior Monitor were compared to another instrument, Qualpacs, and also to other methods that focused on quality of nursing care--observation of patients' activities and interactions with nurses, and interviews with patients and nurses on their perceptions of quality. The results did not reveal a clear picture. Convergent validity was relatively strong for Senior Monitor and the Monitor DG3 schedule, but not the DG1, DG2 and DG4 schedules, when compared to Qualpacs. The comparison with observation of nurse-patient activities and interactions supported Monitor rather more than Senior Monitor, particularly with respect to frequency of omitted activities. Both instruments showed considerable construct validity in that congruence emerged between their items and the views of patients and nurses on what constitutes quality.

Aged↗

Hormonal monitoring of ovarian activity using the Ovarian Monitor, part I. Validation of home and laboratory results obtained during ovulatory cycles by comparison with radioimmunoassay.

A study was conducted to determine the accuracy and reliability of the Home Ovarian Monitor for measuring estrone glucuronide (E1G) and pregnanediol glucuronide (PdG) during ovulatory cycles as a means of monitoring ovarian activity. Approximately 60 ovulating women in three centres collected timed specimens of urine (3h or more) for a total of six cycles each. The women measured the E1G and PdG excretion per 24h in their urine specimens using the Monitor. A local laboratory using the Monitor also measured the excretion. Urine specimens from 18 to 19 cycles were sent frozen to the WHO Reference Laboratory in London where they were analysed for E1G and PdG by the Monitor and by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The correlation coefficients between the Monitor and radioimmunoassay results obtained in London were better than 0.84 in 80% of the cycles. A urine bias caused the Monitor E1G results to be higher than those obtained by radioimmunoassay but the daily patterns were the same. In 50% of the cycles, this bias caused a delay of up to 3 days in identifying the beginning of the E1G rise compared with radioimmunoassay. Timing of the preovulatory E1G peak and the postovulatory PdG rise agreed within the experimental errors of the two systems. The study confirmed that women using the Monitor at home obtained results that were as accurate as those obtained by laboratory procedures. Careful supervision was required to maintain laboratory levels of quality control and interpretation of results.

Adult↗

Monitoring for sleep-related threat: a pilot study of the Sleep Associated Monitoring Index (SAMI).

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this pilot study were: 1) to establish the reliability and validity of a new self-report instrument designed to index monitoring for sleep-related threat; 2) to determine the presence of ten monitoring types proposed in a recent cognitive model of insomnia and to examine the relationship between monitoring for sleep-related threat and severity of sleep disturbance; and 3) to explore the association between monitoring and the established constructs of amplification and self-focus. METHODS: Participants (N = 400) completed the Sleep Associated Monitoring Index (SAMI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (1). Based on the PSQI score, the sample was split into two groups to compare normal sleepers (NS) and individuals with a clinically significant sleep disturbance (CSSD). A subset of the sample completed the SAMI and a battery of questionnaires to examine convergent validity between monitoring, amplification, and self-focus. RESULTS: Individuals in the CSSD group had higher SAMI scores than the NS group and the SAMI correlated positively with severity of sleep disturbance as indexed by the PSQI. A principal components analysis extracted 8 components accounting for 69% of the variance. The 30-item SAMI demonstrated high validity, consistency, and reliability. Scores on the SAMI were moderately positively correlated with scores on measures of amplification and self-focus. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary evidence suggests that the SAMI offers a valid and reliable instrument to index monitoring before and after treatment for sleep disturbance. The implications for the presence of monitoring for sleep-related threat in chronic insomnia are discussed.

Adult↗

Monitoring nitric oxide: a comparison of three monitors in a paediatric ventilator circuit.

Simultaneous measurements of nitric oxide (NO) (0-80 ppm) using a chemiluminescence monitor and two electrochemical monitors were performed during simulated paediatric mechanical ventilation. The mean difference (bias) between the chemiluminescence (Model 42H Thermo Environmental Instruments Inc) and an electrochemical monitor (Pulmonox Research and Development Corp) was 0.52 +/- 6.52 ppm (SD). The 95% confidence limits of the mean difference were 3.00 to -1.96 ppm and the limits of agreement between the two techniques were 13.56 to -12.52 ppm. The mean difference between the chemiluminescence monitor and another electrochemical monitor (NOxBox, Bedfont Scientific Inc) was -7.27 +/- 4.29 ppm. The 95% confidence limits of the mean difference were -9.02 to -5.56 ppm and limits of agreement of the two techniques were -16.13 to 1.55 ppm. These results suggest that electrochemical monitors may be used to guard against potentially toxic concentrations of NO (greater than 20 ppm). However they do not suggest that either of the electrochemical monitors may be used with confidence in lieu of the chemiluminescence monitor to regulate NO at low clinical NO levels (1-5 ppm).

Child↗

Blood pressure monitoring with home monitors versus mercury sphygmomanometer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of three automatic monitors (arm, wrist, finger) for blood pressure measurement manufactured by Omron compared with a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. PRIMRY END POINT: Difference in the mean blood pressure readings from each monitor; the secondary end point was difference in pulse readings. DESIGN: A single-visit, crossover trial tested each device twice on the left arm of each participant; the average of the two readings was recorded. The pulse readings from each monitor were also recorded. ANOVA was used to compare mean blood pressure readings and pulse readings from each device. RESULTS: A total of 55 persons (mean age 53 y; 36 women) met inclusion criteria and completed the study. The mean systolic and diastolic readings obtained from the electronic arm unit were comparable to the mercury readings (124.4/78.02 vs. 129.45/77.87 mm Hg, respectively; p > 0.05 for both readings). The mean results obtained from the wrist and finger monitors differed significantly from those of the mercury readings (145.44/89.58 and 113.94/69.07 mm Hg, respectively; p < 0.05 for both monitors compared with control). No difference was measured in the mean pulse readings between the comparisons (p = 0.72). The absolute difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings from control varied the least wih the arm monitor. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the mercury sphygmomanometer, the arm monitor was the most accurate in measuring blood pressure. The wrist and finger monitors resulted in statistically significant mean systolic and diastolic differences compared with the mercury sphygmomanometer.

Arm↗

Cardiopulmonary monitoring at home: the CHIME monitor.

A new physiologic monitor for use in the home has been developed and used for the Collaborative Home Infant Monitor Evaluation (CHIME). This monitor measures infant breathing by respiratory inductance plethysmography and transthoracic impedance; infant electrocardiogram, heart rate and R-R interval; haemoglobin O2 saturation of arterial blood at the periphery and sleep position. Monitor signals from a representative sample of 24 subjects from the CHIME database were of sufficient quality to be clinically interpreted 91.7% of the time for the respiratory inductance plethysmograph, 100% for the ECG, 99.7% for the heart rate and 87% for the 16 subjects of the 24 who used the pulse oximeter. The monitor detected breaths with a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 65% compared to human scorers. It detected all clinically significant bradycardias but identified an additional 737 events where a human scorer did not detect bradycardia. The monitor was considered to be superior to conventional monitors and, therefore, suitable for the successful conduct of the CHIME study.

Cardiography, Impedance↗

Guidelines for data and safety monitoring for clinical trials not requiring traditional data monitoring committees.

This is a commissioned report by a writing committee formed by the Society for Clinical Trials. The committee was formed with the objectives of 1) reviewing data monitoring guidelines for confirmatory (phase III) trials published by the National Institutes of Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Veterans Administration, and the International Conference on Harmonisation and 2) proposing corresponding guidelines for exploratory clinical trials (ie, most phase I and phase II trials and others not requiring a fully independent data monitoring committee). These trials typically involve fewer subjects and are of shorter duration than phase III trials. Nevertheless there are safety concerns, especially because these are often the first human trials for a new intervention. Recommendations are given for appropriate elements of a data monitoring plan, decision criteria for institution of a data monitoring committee (DMC), and critical elements for a DMC to consider in exploratory trials. Review and approval of data monitoring plans are suggested to fall under Institutional Review Board purview. Forming a committee with all the characteristics of a traditional phase III trial monitoring committee may be warranted for a small fraction of exploratory trials. Such a panel could consist of both trial investigators and outside members. The paper concludes with examples of data and safety monitoring practice from the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center and the AIDS Clinical Trials Groups.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Anesthetic mishaps and the cost of monitoring: a proposed standard for monitoring equipment.

Review of insurance data indicates that approximately 1.5 claims are paid per 10,000 anesthetic procedures, a conservative estimate of the incidence of preventable serious injury associated with anesthesia. Insurance data permit estimation of the premium cost for the anesthesiologist and hospital, per operating room per year, of $69,429.00. We propose the use of an enhanced monitoring standard requiring a pulse oximeter, capnograph, spirometer, halometer, automatic sphygmomanometer, breathing circuit oxygen analyzer, stethoscope, electrocardiographic monitor, and temperature monitor. We suggest that this premium cost, together with the estimate that 50% of incidents would be avoided, predicts a resultant saving of over $27,000/operating room/year, a savings equal to the entire cost of the enhanced monitoring system in approximately 8 months, or a yearly savings of over five times the annualized expense of the monitoring system. Thus, in addition to the moral imperative to monitor a patient during anesthesia to avoid injury and death, there is an economic incentive to monitor effectively.

Anesthesia↗

[Continuous monitoring of patients with extensive strokes. Importance of monitoring on the neurological intensive care unit].

One of the main functions of neurologic intensive care units (NICU) is to provide continuous monitoring of critically ill patients. Space-occupying stroke is a disease with high mortality. While clinical assessment of these comatose patients is difficult, additional monitoring is of key importance. With this information, intensive care physicians may recognize pathophysiologic changes earlier, thus making the right timing of therapeutic interventions easier. Every patient admitted to the NICU receives a basic monitoring which combines noninvasive and invasive methods. Additionally, some specialized centers are exploring the new method of multimodal monitoring. This allows continuous monitoring of physiologic parameters of brain function and compliance. The following article attempts to explain methods of neurointensive care monitoring and its importance for the treatment of stroke. Furthermore, we describe new developments in patient monitoring.

Brain↗