Due to the high rates of epidural failure (3–32%), novel techniques are required to objectively assess the successfulness of an epidural block. In this study we therefore investigated whether thermographic temperature measurements have a higher predictive value for a successful epidural block when compared to the cold sensation test as gold standard. Epidural anesthesia was induced in 61 patients undergoing elective abdominal, thoracic or orthopedic surgery. A thermographic picture was recorded at 5, 10 and 15 min following epidural anesthesia induction. After 15 min a cold sensation test was performed. Epidural anesthesia is associated with a decrease in skin temperature. Thermography predicts a successful epidural block with a sensitivity of 54% and a PPV of 92% and a specificity of 67% and a NPV of 17%. The cold sensation test shows a higher sensitivity and PPV than thermography (97 and 93%), but a lower specificity and NPV than thermography (25 and 50%). Thermographic temperature measurements can be used as an additional and objective method for the assessment of the effectiveness of an epidural block next to the cold sensation test, but have a low sensitivity and negative predictive value. The local decrease in temperature as observed in our study during epidural anesthesia is mainly attributed to a core-to-peripheral redistribution of body heat and vasodilation.

Purpose: Multispectral Imaging (MSI) is a new, non-invasive method to continuously measure oxygenation and microcirculatory perfusion, but has limitedly been validated in healthy volunteers. The present study aimed to validate the potential of multispectral imaging in the detection of microcirculatory perfusion disturbances during a vascular occlusion test (VOT).Methods: Two consecutive VOT's were performed on healthy volunteers and tissue oxygenation was measured with MSI and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).Correlations between the rate of desaturation, recovery and the hyperemic area under the curve (AUC) measured by MSI and NIRS were calculated.Results: Fifty-eight volunteers were included. The MSI oxygenation curves showed identifiable components of the VOT, including a desaturation and recovery slope and hyperemic area under the curve, similar to those measured with NIRS. The correlation between the rate of desaturation measured by MSI and NIRS was moderate: r = 0.42 (p = 0.001) for the first and r = 0.41 (p = 0.002) for the second test. Conclusion:Our results suggest that non-contact multispectral imaging is able to measure changes in regional oxygenation and deoxygenation during a vascular occlusion test in healthy volunteers. When compared to measurements with NIRS, correlation of results was moderate to weak, most likely reflecting differences in physiology of the regions of interest and measurement technique.

The emerging technology of spectral filter array (SFA) cameras has great potential for clinical applications, due to its unique capability for real time spectral imaging, at a reasonable cost. This makes such cameras particularly suitable for quantification of dynamic processes such as skin oxygenation. Skin oxygenation measurements are useful for burn wound healing assessment and as an indicator of patient complications in the operating room. Due to their unique design, in which all pixels of the image sensor are equipped with different optical filters, SFA cameras require specific image processing steps to obtain meaningful high quality spectral image data. These steps include spatial rearrangement, SFA interpolations and spectral correction. In this paper the feasibility of a commercially available SFA camera for clinical applications is tested. A suitable general image processing pipeline is proposed. As a ’proof of concept’ a complete system for spatial dynamic skin oxygenation measurements is developed and evaluated. In a study including 58 volunteers, oxygenation changes during upper arm occlusion were measured with the proposed SFA system and compared with a validated clinical device for localized oxygenation measurements. The comparison of the clinical standard measurements and SFA results show a good correlation for the relative oxygenation changes. This proposed processing pipeline for SFA cameras shows to be effective for relative oxygenation change imaging. It can be implemented in real time and developed further for absolute spatial oxygenation measurements.

Hip fracture patients represent a large part of the elderly surgical population and face severe postoperative morbidity and excessive mortality compared to adult surgical hip fracture patients. Low antioxidant status and taurine deficiency is common in the elderly, and may negatively affect postoperative outcome. We hypothesized that taurine, an antioxidant, could improve clinical outcome in the elderly hip fracture patient. A double blind randomized, placebo controlled, clinical trial was conducted on elderly hip fracture patients. Supplementation started after admission and before surgery up to the sixth postoperative day. Markers of oxidative status were measured during hospitalization, and postoperative outcome was monitored for one year after surgery. Taurine supplementation did not improve in-hospital morbidity, medical comorbidities during the first year, or mortality during the first year. Taurine supplementation lowered postoperative oxidative stress, as shown by lower urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine levels (Generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis average difference over time; regression coefficient (Beta): −0.54; 95% CI: −1.08–−0.01; p = 0.04), blunted plasma malondialdehyde response (Beta: 1.58; 95% CI: 0.00–3.15; p = 0.05) and a trend towards lower lactate to pyruvate ratio (Beta: −1.10; 95% CI: −2.33–0.12; p = 0.08). We concluded that peri-operative taurine supplementation attenuated postoperative oxidative stress in elderly hip fracture patients, but did not improve postoperative morbidity and mortality.