A wearable eddy current based pulmonary function sensor for continuous non-contact point-of-care monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pulmonary function testing (PFT) allows for quantitative analysis of lung function. However, as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a majority of international medical societies have postponed PFTs in an effort to mitigate disease transmission, complicating the continuity of care in high-risk patients diagnosed with COVID-19 or preexisting lung pathologies. Here, we describe the development of a non-contact wearable pulmonary sensor for pulmonary waveform analysis, pulmonary volume quantification, and crude thoracic imaging using the eddy current (EC) phenomenon. Statistical regression analysis is performed to confirm the predictive validity of the sensor, and all data are continuously and digitally stored with a sampling rate of 6,660 samples/second. Wearable pulmonary function sensors may facilitate rapid point-of-care monitoring for high-risk individuals, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and easily interface with patient hospital records or telehealth services.

Geographic Trends in the Otolaryngology Match (2016-2020).

OBJECTIVE: Presenting geographic matching trends over 5 match cycles (2016-2020) to serve as a context for changes in residency match outcomes due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Single academic institution-affiliated otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency program. METHODS: Residency match outcomes for all applicants to our institution (2015-2019) were collected from the National Residency Matching Program, including medical school and matched program. Matches were categorized as home program, home region, or out of region and sorted by US geographic region. Statistical analysis included frequencies, totals, χ2 testing, and binary logistic regression. RESULTS: From 2016 to 2020, the US MD senior match rate was 84.9%: 18.9% to home programs, 35.7% to home region, and 45.3% to out of region. Rates were similar across regions and decreased over time. Westerners matched to home programs more than Southerners or Midwesterners (27.5% vs 16.0% and 16.0%, P < .01). Southerners and Westerners were more likely to match within their regions (South: 63.1%, P = .011, odds ratio [OR] = 1.296, 95% CI, 1.060-1.584; West: 42.0%, P = .018, OR = 1.462, 95% CI, 1.066-2.004). Matching from out of region was more likely in the West and less likely in the South (West: 58.0%, P = .017, OR = 1.379, 95% CI, 1.059-1.796; South: 36.9%, P < .001, OR = 0.584, 95% CI, 0.47-0.727). CONCLUSION: From 2016 to 2020 in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, about 1 in 5 matches were to home institutions, a trend that appeared to be more common in the West. Over 4 out of 5 trainees match to nonhome programs, and nearly half relocate to a new region for training. Changes to travel, rotations, and interviews due to COVID-19 may influence these trends.