Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/808230
APP STREAMLINES COMMUNICATION BY INTUBATED PATIENTS M O S T O F T H E approximately 800,000 Americans who are intubated and need mechanical ventilation each year are awake and alert. A newly developed tablet-based app helps these patients communicate information ranging from pain levels to needs such as repositioning and suctioning. Created by Florida Atlantic University's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, the app, Speak for Myself, underwent a study involving patients ages 45–91 who were in cardiovascular, neurological and surgical ICUs, according to a news release from the university. The results, published in the journal Computers, Informatics, Nursing, suggest the app can enhance communication and improve outcomes. For example, it aided the resolution of a patient's throat pain, which had been caused by a twisted nasogastric tube. The app's predictive software anticipates the words patients are entering, and an interactive graphic permits patients to indicate clearly the places where they are experiencing pain. ■ ELECTRODE GRID REDUCES FREQUENCY OF EPILEPSY SEIZURES PAT I E N T S W I T H D R U G " R E S I S TA N T focal epilepsy can, in some cases, experience fewer and less intense seizures through the use of an electrode grid applied to the brain, research in JAMA Neurology suggests. Thirteen patients received continuous sub-threshold electrical cortical stimulation, improving their clinical seizures, researchers stated. All but three patients saw improvement in seizure intensity, Medgadget wrote in a review of the research. Frequency decreased by more than half among a majority of the patients, and six experienced no disabling seizures. Among patients who experienced improvement, the temporary electrode grid was replaced with a longer-term device. As many as three in 1,000 people have the condition, the Mayo Clinic-based researchers noted. Surgical procedures can be effective, but surgery may not be an option when seizures emanate from critical areas such as the eloquent cortex. ■ UPRIGHT WHEELCHAIR FOSTERS FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION A N U P R I G H T W HEEL C H A IR that utilizes a gyroscope for stability could reach the market sometime in 2017, according to the Israeli company that developed it. UPnRIDE Robotics designed the four-wheel chair, which permits users to navigate uneven or sloped terrain and have face-to-face interaction with people who are standing, Reuters reports. The wheelchair can be used by people who have limited use of their arms, and UPnRIDE CEO Oren Tamari says its steady center of gravity reduces fall risk. Gabi Zeilig, Director of the Neurological Rehabilitation Department at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, says standing can reduce the likelihood of respiratory and cardiovascular conditions among people who have spinal cord injuries. Zeilig was slated to conduct a clinical trial of the wheelchair, according to Reuters. More than 2 million Americans use a wheelchair for routine activities, the CDC notes. ■ BY STEVE BARRETT PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L P E N N S Y LVA N I A 2 017 1 5