ABSTRACT
The outbreak of COVID-19 has attracted people's attention to our healthcare system, stimulating the advancement of next-generation health monitoring technologies. IoT attracts extensive attention in this advancement for its advantage in ubiquitous communication and sensing. RFID plays a key role in IoT to tackle the challenges in passive communication and identification and is now emerging as a sensing technology which has the ability to reduce the cost and complexity of data collection. It is advantageous to introduce RFID sensor technologies in health-related sensing and monitoring, as there are many sensors used in health monitoring systems with the potential to be integrated with RFID for smart sensing and monitoring. But due to the unique characteristics of the human body, there are challenges in developing effective RFID sensors for human health monitoring in terms of communication and sensing. For example, in a typical IoT health monitoring application, the main challenges are as follows: (1) energy issues, the efficiency of RF front-end energy harvesting and power conversion is measured;(2) communication issues, the basic technology of RFID sensors shows great heterogeneity in terms of antennas, integrated circuit functions, sensing elements, and data protocols;and (3) performance stability and sensitivity issues, the RFID sensors are mainly attached to the object to be measured to carry out identification and parameter sensing. However, in practical applications, these can also be affected by certain environmental factors. This paper presents the recent advancement in RFID sensor technologies and the challenges for the IoT healthcare system. The current sensors used in health monitoring are also reviewed with regard to integrating possibility with RFID and IoT. The future research direction is pointed out for the emergence of the next-generation healthcare and monitoring system.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has ravaged the United States and transformed the way medical care is delivered. As specialists in upper airway anatomy, otolaryngology (ENT) services may be called upon to manage various head-and-neck complaints for patients with COVID-19. While ear, nose, and throat (ENT) consults may benefit critically ill patients, they also expose physicians to the transmission of COVID-19. We sought to identify the reasons for ENT intervention and examine trends in testing through the pandemic. Method: Records for all ENT consults from May 1 to September 29, 2020, were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic information, admission diagnoses, length of stay, COVID status, and ENT interventions were recorded. Univariate analysis was performed. Results: Of 1343 distinct consults, 965 (72%) were tested for COVID-19, with 62 (4.6%) positive. In May 200 (70%) of 287 consults were tested with 2 (0.7%) positive, while in September, 251 (78.5%) of 320 consults were tested with 22 (6.9%) positive. The most common ENT consultation for COVID-positive patients was nasal and oropharyngeal bleeding (n = 19, 30.6%), followed by facial trauma (n = 15, 24.2%). Other reasons included respiratory distress, tracheostomy, and foreign body (retained COVID swab). Of 96 interventions for patients with COVID-19, 49 (51%) were for management of bleeding, 24 (25%) were for upper airway evaluation (UAE), and 8 (8.3%) were for tracheostomy or trach management. Conclusion: Although patients with COVID-19 necessitated various otolaryngologic interventions, management of bleeding was the most common complaint, which may be associated with therapeutic anticoagulation as well as coagulopathy from the disease process. Bleeding control was followed by UAE and trach management, 2 aerosol-generating procedures that may increase the risk of COVID transmission. The proportion of consults tested and confirmed positive for COVID- 19 at our institution increased from May to September, possibly assisting otolaryngologists to take appropriate preventive precautions.
ABSTRACT
Severe patients with coronaviras disease 2019 (COVID-19) are characterized by persistent lung damage, causing respiratory failure, secondary circulatory changes and multiple organ dysfunction after virus invasion. Because of its dynamic, real-time, non-invasive, repeatable and other advantages, critical ultrasonography can be widely used in the diagnosis, assessment and guidance of treatment for severe patients. Based on the recommendations of critical care experts from all over the country who fight against the epidemic in Wuhan, this article summarizes the guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19 based on critical ultrasonography, hoping to provide help for the treatment of severe patients. The recommendations mainly cover the following aspects: (1) lung ultrasound in patients with COVID-19 is mainly manifested by thickened and irregular pleural lines, different types of B-lines, shred signs, and other consolidation like dynamic air bronchogram; (2) Echocardiography may show right heart dysfunction, diffuse cardiac function enhancement, stress cardiomyopathy, diffuse cardiac depression and other multiple abnormalities; (3) Critical ultrasonography helps with initiating early treatment in the suspect patient, screening confirmed patients after intensive care unit admission, early assessment of sudden critical events, rapid grading assessment and treatment based on it; (4) Critical ultrasonography helps to quickly screen for the etiology of respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19, make oxygen therapeutic strategy, guide the implementation of lung protective ventilation, graded management and precise off-ventilator; (5) Critical ultrasonography is helpful for assessing the circulatory status of patients with COVID-19, finding chronic cardiopulmonary diseases and guiding extracorporeal membrane oxygenation management; (6) Critical ultrasonography contributes to the management of organs besides based on cardiopulmonary oxygen transport; (7) Critical ultrasonography can help to improve the success of operation; (8) Critical ultrasonography can help to improve the safety and quality of nursing; (9) When performing critical ultrasonography for patients with COVID-19, it needs to implement three-level protection standard, pay attention to disinfect the machine and strictly obey the rules from nosocomial infection. (10) Telemedicine and artificial intelligence centered on critical ultrasonography may help to improve the efficiency of treatment for the patients with COVID-19. In the face of the global spread of the epidemic, all we can do is to share experience, build a defense line, We hope this recommendations can help COVID-19 patients therapy.