ABSTRACT
Introduction: Pediatric epistaxis is highly prevalent, yet patient characteristics, frequency of office cauterizations, and outcomes have been minimally described. This study examined the epidemiology and prevalence of epistaxis and potential impact by COVID-19. Method(s): A retrospective summary was performed on all patients (0-18 years) seen/treated for epistaxis by pediatric otolaryngologists within a single health care system across northeast and southeast United States between January 1, 2013, and October 31, 2021. Demographics, geographics, medical history, and office and operating room cauterization were reviewed. Data were analyzed using chi2 and logistic regression. Result(s): Of 9770 unique patients, with 26,699 epistaxis encounters, 62% were male. Median age at first encounter was 8.5 years;50% of patients were White. Encounters were most frequent during the fall (September-November) and least frequent during winter (December-February) with no significant differences. The incidence of epistaxis has significantly increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (P<.001). Overall, 27% received a procedural intervention, 54% required more than a single visit. Logistic regression revealed age, ethnicity, and geographical region as independent predictors of receiving a procedure on the first encounter, with a model receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve with area=0.75 (95% CI, 0.73-0.76). Similarly, procedural intervention, history of allergies, and nasal steroid use were independent predictors of recurrent visits, with a model ROC curve with area=0.79 (95% CI, 0.78-0.80). Conclusion(s): The incidence of pediatric epistaxis is not significantly correlated with seasonality. However, there has been a significant increase in epistaxis encounters during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recurrent visits for pediatric epistaxis were significantly predicted by procedural intervention, allergies, and nasal steroid use.
ABSTRACT
A medical mask is one of the vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used by Healthcare Personnel (HCP) to protect themselves, patients, and others while providing their essential services to the public. HCPs all around the world are fighting on the frontlines of COVID-19. While they are saving people's lives from Coronavirus, it is also critical to monitor the HCPs' health conditions continuously. In this study, we propose a framework to develop a customized smart medical mask system to monitor the HCP's temperature and strain on the face. Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) technology is applied to develop the mask that embeds 3D printed sensors with wireless function. The proposed design process utilizes a 3D scanned picture of an individual face, then analyzing its geometrical attributes to determine the adjusted places for the sensors on the mask and optimize the design paramenters of the sensors. The two types of sensors, temperature, and strain are fabricated using the AJP technology. The temperature monitoring is to detect respiratory breathing fever and irregular, which is one of the symptoms of respiratory diseases. And strain monitoring is for alarming possible face irritation and bruising caused by tight sealing of masks. The sensing data is transmitted to the cloud for real-time monitoring purposes. This paper showcases the customized yet affordable additive manufacturing built on the Internet of Things technology for a personalized healthcare application to alarm workload and body condition of HCP. © 2020 IEEE.