Yihe Liu¹, Aaqif Afzaal Abbasi², Atefeh Aghaei³, Almas Abbasi⁴, Amir Mosavi^{5, 6, 7}, Shahaboddin Shamshirband^{8, 9, *}, Mohammed A. A. Al-qaness¹⁰

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.63, No.1, pp. 31-39, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2020.07708 - 30 March 2020

Abstract Mobile cloud computing is an emerging field that is gaining popularity across borders at a rapid pace. Similarly, the field of health informatics is also considered as an extremely important field. This work observes the collaboration between these two fields to solve the traditional problem of extracting Electrocardiogram signals from trace reports and then performing analysis. The developed system has two front ends, the first dedicated for the user to perform the photographing of the trace report. Once the photographing is complete, mobile computing is used to extract the signal. Once the signal is extracted, More >

Yibo Zhao^1,2

Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, Vol.25, No.4, pp. 835-845, 2019, DOI:10.31209/2019.100000087

Abstract In this paper, a new model is proposed to predict the permeability of porous media. This model introduces the Euler-Poincaré Characteristic (Euler Number), a parameter that reflects the connectivity of porous media. Using fractal and percolation theory, we establish a permeability model as a function of critical radius, porosity and Euler number. In order to relate the result to the Euler number, we introduce the Connectivity Function to calculate the critical aperture in the percolation theory, then calculate the percolation threshold value, and establish the relationship between the percolation threshold and the Euler number. The More >

Amy E. Delaney¹, Nina M. Dadlez², Audrey C. Marshall²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.4, pp. 665-670, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12821

Abstract Background: In pediatric cardiac care, many centers participate in multiple, national, domain‐specific registries, as a major component of their quality assessment and im‐ provement efforts. Small cardiac programs, whose clinical activities and scale may not be well‐suited to this approach, need alternative methods to assess and track quality.
Methods: We conceived of and piloted a rapid‐approach cardiac quality assessment, intended to encompass multiple aspects of the service line, in a low‐volume program. The assessment incorporated previously identified measures, drawn from multiple sources, and ultimately relied on retrospective chart review.
Results: A collaborative, multidisciplinary team formed and came to… More >

Jennifer Gerardin¹, Cheryl Raskind‐Hood², Fred H. Rodriguez^3,4, Trenton Hoffman², Andreas Kalogeropoulos⁵, Carol Hogue², Wendy Book³

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.4, pp. 541-548, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12780

Abstract Objective: Transfer of congenital heart disease care from the pediatric to adult set‐ ting has been identified as a priority and is associated with better outcomes. Our objective is to determine what percentage of patients with congenital heart disease transferred to adult congenital cardiac care.
Design: A retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Referrals to a tertiary referral center for adult congenital heart disease pa‐ tients from its pediatric referral base.
Patients: This resulted in 1514 patients age 16‐30, seen at least once in three pediat‐ ric Georgia health care systems during 2008‐2010.
Interventions: We analyzed for protective factors associated with age‐appropriate… More >

Fatima M. Ezzeddine¹, Tabitha Moe², Georges Ephrem³, William Aaron Kay³

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.4, pp. 511-516, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12771

Abstract Background: Delivery of care to the adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) popula‐ tion has been limited by a shortage in the ACHD physician resources. There is limited data regarding the adequacy of the ACHD physician resources in the United States and our population estimates are extrapolated from Canadian data. Therefore, we proposed to evaluate the adequacy of ACHD physician: patient ratios in the United States at both national and regional levels.
Methods: Data from the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) website along with metropolitan area and statewide population data from 2016 US Census Bureau estimates were analyzed.… More >

Michael V. Di Maria¹, Cindy Barrett¹, Carey Rafferty¹, Kelly Wolfe¹, Sarah L. Kelly¹, Deborah R. Liptzin², Dania Brigham³, Adel Younoszai¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.4, pp. 590-599, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12769

Abstract Background: Children with single ventricle (SV) heart disease who undergo Fontan operation are at risk for developing multiorgan dysfunction. Although survival has improved, significant comorbidities involving multiple organ systems may develop, requiring evaluation and management by many subspecialists. Using data from an internal survey, we documented high care variability for our Fontan population. We then developed a multidisciplinary clinic, designed and implemented a clinical care pathway to decrease variability of patient assessment.
Methods: After creating a multidisciplinary team and a clinical care pathway, we initiated a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) where patients could see multiple subspecialists during a… More >

Sara Bobillo‐Perez^1,2, Joan Sanchez‐de‐Toledo^3,4, Susana Segura², Monica Girona‐Alarcon², Maria Mele⁵, Anna Sole‐Ribalta², Debora Cañizo Vazquez⁶, Iolanda Jordan^2,7, Francisco Jose Cambra^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 1066-1077, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12846

Abstract Objective: Three scores have been proposed to stratify the risk of mortality for each cardiac surgical procedure: The RACHS‐1, the Aristotle Basic Complexity (ABC), and the STS‐EACTS complexity scoring model. The aim was to compare the ability to predict mortality and morbidity of the three scores applied to a specific population.
Design: Retrospective, descriptive study.
Setting: Pediatric and neonatal intensive care units in a referral hospital.
Patients: Children under 18 years admitted to the intensive care unit after surgery.
Interventions: None.
Outcome measures: Demographic, clinical, and surgical data were assessed. Morbidity was considered as prolonged length of stay (LOS > 75… More >

Katherine B. Salciccioli¹, Abiodun Oluyomi², Philip J. Lupo³, Peter R. Ermis¹, Keila N. Lopez¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.5, pp. 752-759, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12819

Abstract Background: Follow‐up at a regional adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) center is recommended for all ACHD patients at least once per the 2018 ACC/AHA guidelines. Other specialties have demonstrated poorer follow‐up and outcomes correlating with increased distance from health care providers, but driving time to regional ACHD centers has not been examined in the US population.
Objective: To identify and characterize potential disparities in access to ACHD care in the US based on drive time to ACHD centers and compounding sociodemographic factors.
Methods: Mid‐ to high‐volume ACHD centers with ≥500 outpatient ACHD visits and ≥20 ACHD surgeries annually… More >

Natalie Bottega¹, Isabelle Malhamé², Liming Guo¹, Raluca Ionescu‐Ittu¹, Judith Therrien¹, Ariane Marelli¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.5, pp. 735-744, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12811

Abstract Background: The number of women with congenital heart disease (CHD) of reproductive age is increasing, yet a description of trends in pregnancy and delivery outcomes in this population is lacking.
Objective: To assess secular trends in pregnancy rates, delivery outcomes, and related health care utilization in the adult female CHD population in Quebec, Canada.
Methods: The Quebec CHD database was used to construct a cohort with all women with CHD aged 18‐45 years between 1992 and 2004. Pregnancy and delivery rates were determined yearly and compared to the general population. Secular trends in pregnancy and delivery rates were… More >

Sarah Tweddell, Rohit S. Loomba, David S. Cooper, Alexis L. Benscoter

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.5, pp. 785-790, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12779

Abstract Introduction: Health care‐associated infections (HAIs) increase mortality, length of stay, and cost in hospitalized patients. The incidence of and risk factors for developing HAIs in the pediatric population after cardiac surgery have been studied. This study evaluates the impact of HAIs on length of stay, inpatient mortality, and cost of hospitalization in the pediatric population after cardiac surgery.
Methods: TheKids’InpatientDatabasewasqueriedforanalysis.Patientsunder18years of age who underwent cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2012 were included. HAIs were defined as central line‐associated blood stream infections, catheter‐associated urinary tract infections, ventilator‐associated pneumonias, and surgical wound infections. Univariate analysis compared admissions with and… More >