Essential
- A automatic learning algorithm using biorhythms derived from portable devices predicted most of the complications that occurred after an appendectomy up to three days before the diagnosis.
- Among the children operated, 13 presented postoperative complications, such as an intra-abdominal abscess, a superficial infection of the site and an occlusion of the small intestine.
- “This study strengthens the potential of portable devices to complete clinical care for better restoration of patients.”
“Postoperative complications remain a major concern, as they represent a significant risk to the health of children who are under surgical intervention. However, rapid detection of complications after the hospital exit is difficult because it is based on the subjective relationships of children and caregivers on symptoms”, Northwestern University (United States) university has said. In a new study, published in the journal Science Advancesthe latter wanted to assess the use of large public portable devices to monitor patients after an appendixctomy, which consists in removing the infected appendix in the event of sudden inflammation of a colon diverticulum.
The device predicts complications up to three days in advance
In order to carry out research, the team analyzed measures based on biorhythms (circadian and ultradian rhythms, derived from daily activity and cardiac frequency schemes recorded by a portable device) and their link with postoperative recovery in children with and without postoperative complications. For this, devices were worn by 103 children who have suffered from appendicitis for 21 days immediately after the operation. Among the young people, 13 presented postoperative complications, such as an intra-abdominal abscess (for 10 volunteers), a superficial infection of the operating site (for two patients) and an occlusion of the small intestine (for a child).
Children with complications had significantly disturbed biorhythms, especially in terms of amplitude and circadian variability. In detail, the heart rate and the number of steps did not have the 24 -hour frequency observed in children in normal recovery. After examining the data, the authors discovered that the system predicted postoperative complications up to three days before a formal diagnosis thanks to the measures based on biorhythms, with a sensitivity of 91 % and a specificity of 74 %.
“The potential of portable devices for better restoration of patients”
“This study strengthens the potential of portable devices to complete clinical care for better restoration of patients. The real -time implementation of this surveillance framework could make it possible to send automated alerts to clinical teams, thus facilitating an earlier intervention and better coordination of care. (…) Other cases of use should be studied in the context of future research in order to assess the predictive value of biorhythms pediatric, even for different types of appendicitis “, concluded scientists.
