Design and validation of an inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based sensor for capturing camera movement in the operating room.

Intraoperative surgical video enables better surgical training, continued performance enhancement for surgeons and system-level quality improvement initiatives, however the capture of high-quality intraoperative video of open surgical procedures is difficult. Wearable cameras, typically in the form of a head-mounted action camera are frequently used for this purpose, although the video from these devices often contains significant motion artifact due to movement of the surgeon's head. When trying to compare the performance of various wearable cameras in the surgical setting, we could not find a motion sensor appropriate for this purpose. We therefore describe in this article the design, assembly and validation of a small sensor that can be attached to wearable cameras in the operating room to objectively quantify camera motion. The sensor incorporates an inertial measurement unit coupled to a microcontroller. Concurrent validity is established by comparing the positional sensing of the device to a geared tripod head that allows for fine, measured manipulations of the sensor in three orthogonal axes. The methodology of capturing, processing and reporting camera movement for a surgical procedure is also detailed.

First Feasibility Analysis of Ballistocardiography on a Passenger Flight.

The project SCARAB2 (Scalable, Robust and Adaptive on Board Ballistocardiography) aims to use Ballistocardiography (BCG) to monitor flight passengers. In order to show that recorded BCG data from flights give evaluable information even in the noisy environment of an airplane, we monitored a heart-healthy passenger using BCG. Furthermore, we show that there can be a conclusion to heart activities from the recorded ballistocardiogram by comparing the data to a concurrently recorded electrocardiogram (ECG).

Reliability and validity of an instrument for the assessment of bradykinesia.

Bradykinesia is associated with reduced quality of life and medication non-compliance, and it may be a prodrome for schizophrenia. Therefore, screening/monitoring for subtle bradykinesia is of clinical and scientific importance. This study investigated the validity and reliability of such an instrument. Included were 70 patients with psychotic disorders. Inertial sensors captured mean cycle duration, amplitude and velocity of four movement tasks: walking, elbow flexion/extension, forearm pronation/supination and leg agility. The concurrent validity with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) bradykinesia subscale was determined using regression analysis. Reliability was investigated with the intra-class correlation coefficient. The duration, amplitude and velocities of the four tasks measured by the instrument explained 67% of the variance on the UPDRS bradykinesia subscale. The instrument test-retest reliability was high. The instrument investigated in this study is a valid and reliable alternative to observer-rated scales. It is an ideal tool for monitoring bradykinesia as it requires little training and experience to achieve reliable results.

Review of Pure Endoscopic Full-Thickness Resection of the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract.

Natural-orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) using flexible endoscopy has attracted attention as a minimally invasive surgical method that does not cause an operative wound on the body surface. However, minimizing the number of devices involved in endoscopic, compared to laparoscopic, surgeries has remained a challenge, causing endoscopic surgeries to gradually be phased out of use. If a flexible endoscopic full-thickness suturing device and a counter-traction device were developed to expand the surgical field for gastrointestinal-tract collapse, then endoscopic full-thickness resection using NOTES, which is seen as an extension of endoscopic submucosal dissection for full-thickness excision of tumors involving the gastrointestinal-tract wall, might become an extremely minimally invasive surgical method that could be used to resect only full-thickness lesions approached by the shortest distance via the mouth. It is expected that gastroenterological endoscopists will use this surgery if device development is advanced. This extremely minimally invasive surgery would have an immeasurable impact with regard to mitigating the burden on patients and reducing healthcare costs. Development of a new surgical method using a multi-purpose flexible endoscope is therefore considered a socially urgent issue.

Review of Pure Endoscopic Full-Thickness Resection of the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract

Natural-orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) using flexible endoscopy has attracted attention as a minimally invasive surgical method that does not cause an operative wound on the body surface. However, minimizing the number of devices involved in endoscopic, compared to laparoscopic, surgeries has remained a challenge, causing endoscopic surgeries to gradually be phased out of use. If a flexible endoscopic full-thickness suturing device and a counter-traction device were developed to expand the surgical field for gastrointestinal-tract collapse, then endoscopic full-thickness resection using NOTES, which is seen as an extension of endoscopic submucosal dissection for full-thickness excision of tumors involving the gastrointestinal-tract wall, might become an extremely minimally invasive surgical method that could be used to resect only full-thickness lesions approached by the shortest distance via the mouth. It is expected that gastroenterological endoscopists will use this surgery if device development is advanced. This extremely minimally invasive surgery would have an immeasurable impact with regard to mitigating the burden on patients and reducing healthcare costs. Development of a new surgical method using a multipurpose flexible endoscope is therefore considered a socially urgent issue.

Recent Progress in Lab-on-a-Chip Technology and Its Potential Application to Clinical Diagnoses.

We present the construction of the lab-on-a-chip (LOC) system, a state-of-the-art technology that uses polymer materials (i.e., poly[dimethylsiloxane]) for the miniaturization of conventional laboratory apparatuses, and show the potential use of these microfluidic devices in clinical applications. In particular, we introduce the independent unit components of the LOC system and demonstrate how each component can be functionally integrated into one monolithic system for the realization of a LOC system. In specific, we demonstrate microscale polymerase chain reaction with the use of a single heater, a microscale sample injection device with a disposable plastic syringe and a strategy for device assembly under environmentally mild conditions assisted by surface modification techniques. In this way, we endeavor to construct a totally integrated, disposable microfluidic system operated by a single mode, the pressure, which can be applied on-site with enhanced device portability and disposability and with simple and rapid operation for medical and clinical diagnoses, potentially extending its application to urodynamic studies in molecular level.

Recent Progress in Lab-on-a-Chip Technology and Its Potential Application to Clinical Diagnoses / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

We present the construction of the lab-on-a-chip (LOC) system, a state-of-the-art technology that uses polymer materials (i.e., poly[dimethylsiloxane]) for the miniaturization of conventional laboratory apparatuses, and show the potential use of these microfluidic devices in clinical applications. In particular, we introduce the independent unit components of the LOC system and demonstrate how each component can be functionally integrated into one monolithic system for the realization of a LOC system. In specific, we demonstrate microscale polymerase chain reaction with the use of a single heater, a microscale sample injection device with a disposable plastic syringe and a strategy for device assembly under environmentally mild conditions assisted by surface modification techniques. In this way, we endeavor to construct a totally integrated, disposable microfluidic system operated by a single mode, the pressure, which can be applied on-site with enhanced device portability and disposability and with simple and rapid operation for medical and clinical diagnoses, potentially extending its application to urodynamic studies in molecular level.