Predicting vasovagal reactions to a virtual blood donation using facial image analysis

Abstract

Background People with needle fear experience not only anxiety and stress but also vasovagal reactions (VVR), including nausea, dizziness, sweating, pallor changes, or even fainting. However, the mechanism behind needle fear and the VVR response are not yet well understood. The aim of our study was to explore whether fluctuations in facial temperature in several facial regions are related to the level of experienced vasovagal reactions, in a simulated blood donation. Study design and methods We recruited 45 students at Tilburg University and filmed them throughout a virtual blood donation procedure using an Infrared Thermal Imaging (ITI) camera. Participants reported their fear of needles and level of experienced vasovagal reactions. ITI data pre‐processing was completed on each video frame by detecting facial landmarks and image alignment before extracting the mean temperature from the six regions of interest. Results Temperatures of the chin and left and right cheek areas increased during the virtual blood donation. Mixed‐effects linear regression showed a significant association between self‐reported vasovagal reactions and temperature fluctuations in the area below the nose. Discussion Our results suggest that the area below the nose may be an interesting target for measuring vasovagal reactions using video imaging techniques. This is the first in a line of studies, which assess whether it is possible to automatically detect levels of fear and vasovagal reactions using facial imaging, from which the development of e‐health solutions and interventions can benefit.

Novel risk patterns of vasovagal reactions in NZ blood donations complicated by COVID-19 restrictions

“…In addition to the operational issues above, major changes to donation environment and operation policies could contribute to the significant year effects identified in both the first-time and the repeat donation models. One good example was the implementation of COVID-19 restriction measures in blood donation settings, of which facemask wearing could influence breathing, effective communication, and ability to detect early signs of adverse reactions ( 25 , 30 ), generate hypercapnia or related issues, and subsequently elevate iVVR rates roundly ( Figure 3 ). As a matter of fact, the COVID-19 pandemic itself could have generated certain anxiety to donors contributing to the increase of iVVR rates.…”

The impact of facemasks on blood donation process: The professionals' perspective

“…Recent studies have implemented technological applications to detect early signs of vasovagal reactions through facial image analysis (Rudokaite et al, 2022 ) or the use of smart facemasks for wireless CO2 monitoring (Escobedo et al, 2022 ). Although these devices might not be cost effective, they offer possible solutions to overcome the barriers posed by facemask wearing.…”

Machine learning-based prediction of fainting during blood donations using donor properties and weather data as features

“…Our study aimed to predict fainting in voluntary blood donors and to identify potential factors accounting for the occurrence of a vasovagal reaction during blood donation using modern machine learning algorithms. Other studies on machine learning focus on eligibility of donors [21] or use elaborate donor observation [22]. All vasovagal responses across the time course of donation were included in this study.…”