Other Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury (Bcvi): Universal Cta Neck Screening At Level 2 Trauma Center, Tamine Gogel

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury (BCVI) refers to injuries to the vessels supplying blood to the brain, primarily carotid and vertebral arteries, and can result from trauma, resulting in stroke by vessel dissection, thrombus formation, embolization, and hemorrhage. Timely identification is crucial for effective intervention and improved outcomes. This doctoral project proposes the implementation of universal screening using Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) of the neck during initial workup for blunt force trauma at a Level II ACS-verified trauma center. The primary objective is to mitigate potential delays in diagnosing and treating BCVI, thereby reducing the likelihood of complications. Patients ≥ 15 years …

Bowel Clean Out Prior To Intrathecal Baclofen Pump Implantation: Effects On Acute Post-Operative Gastrointestinal Complications, Amanda Lindenberg, Sathya Vadivelu, Brittni Walton, Matthew J. Mclaughlin

Research Days

Background: Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pumps have been used for management of spasticity and dystonia There is limited data on immediate post-operative complications such as GI adverse events after surgery for ITB pump related procedures. This study aimed to compare patients who underwent a pre-operative bowel cleanout to those who did not and the relationship with post-operative nausea, vomiting and constipation requiring an escalation of their bowel regimen.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Pediatric acute care hospital.

Participants: All patients who underwent new ITB pump and/or catheter placement from January 2015-December 2022.

Interventions: Preoperative bowel clean out. Main

Outcome Measure: Quantity …

With Love, ; An Interdisciplinary And Intersectional Look At Why Creativity Is Essential, Theo Starr Gardner

Whittier Scholars Program

My Whittier Scholars Program self-designed major, Teaching Creativity, is a mixture of Art, Literature, and Education classes. My research and praxis classes have been focused on the ‘how?’s and 'why?’s of creativity, so it felt only right that my project should be a constructivist, generative project. The project I have been working on throughout my time at Whittier, and that has just fully come to fruition on April 11th, 2024, was a solo art gallery/open mic event entitled ‘With Love,’. With Love, was conceptually inspired by the research I’ve conducted on creativity and creative arts education over the past few …

Development, Validation, And Diagnostic Performance Of A Novel Radiomic Model For Predicting Prostate Cancer Recurrence, Linda M. Huynh

Theses & Dissertations

Multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI)-derived radiomics have been shown to capture sub-visual patterns for the quantitative characterization of prostate cancer (PC) phenotypes. The present dissertation seeks to develop, evaluate, and compare the performance of an MRI-derived radiomic model for the prediction of PC recurrence following definitive treatment with radical prostatectomy (RP).

MP-MRI was obtained from 339 patients who had a minimum of 2 years follow-up following RP at three institutions. The prostate was manually delineated as the region of interest and 924 radiomic features were extracted. All features were evaluated for stability via intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and image normalization …

Patient-Centered Preimplant Education Session And Bi-Weekly Text Message Adherence Reminders In Patients With A Newly Implanted Cardiomems® Device: A Quality Improvement Study, Elizabeth M. Miller, Alicia Abboud, Audrey Cooper

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Rationale

Heart failure is a deadly disease, affecting over 6.2 million individuals and costing the United States an estimated 30.7 billion dollars (Virani et al., 2020). By 2023, heart failure costs in the United States are estimated to grow to 70 billion dollars with 75-80% of these costs attributed to inpatient hospitalizations (Heidereich et al., 2022). The CardioMEMs® is a small device placed in the patient’s pulmonary artery via a minimally invasive procedure by an interventional cardiologist. The use of remote patient data from the CardioMEMs® device has been shown to reduce hospital re-admissions, facilitate tailored medication management, detect increased …

Clinical Outcomes For Impella Procedure In Octogenarians, Nonagenarians, And Centenarians: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Tony Elias, Sonika Vatsa, Kyrillos Girgis, Michael Valderrama, Rafail Beshai

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The Impella, a vital ventricular assist device, has seen extensive use in managing severe heart failure and cardiogenic shock. However, the impact of this procedure on older individuals remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we scrutinized the National Inpatient Sample Database from 2019 to 2020 to elucidate in-hospital outcomes among older patients who underwent the Impella procedure. Among the 8233 patients who underwent Impella insertion, 1389 (16.8%) were in the older population, aged 80 years or older. This subgroup exhibited a higher prevalence of comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease compared to younger patients. Alarmingly, …

A Literature Review Of Current Treatments For The Hypermobility Subtype Of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, John Gericke, Mary Zsolway, Chelsea Reyes, Pooja Patel, Saad Ahmed, Julia Hwang, Venkateswar Venkataraman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare pharmacologic intervention, neurocognitive therapy, physical therapy, and orthotics in treating the hypermobility subtype of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and determine which has the most positive effect on symptoms.

Introduction: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is an inheritable connective tissue disorder which results from a genetic mutation that alters the body’s ability to produce collagen. The most common subtype of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is hEDS, which leads to hypermobility and hyperextensibility and can cause frequent joint dislocations.

Methods: A review of literature was performed to compare each treatment based on reported results. The types of studies reviewed …

The Benefits And Risks Of Pudendal Nerve Block And Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation In Pudendal Neuralgia, Pooja A. Patel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Context: Pudendal neuralgia is a chronic neuropathic pain syndrome worsening throughout daily activities. Although temporarily relieved when standing or lying down, it is often misdiagnosed, improperly treated, and/or refractory to treatment leading to a negative impact on quality of life. The lack of research in proper diagnosis and interventional management (such as dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRGS) and pudendal nerve block) further contributes to the delay in relief from the chronic pain. Objective: The goal of this scoping review is to assess if research exists on benefits and risks of pudendal nerve block and dorsal root ganglion and …

A Rare Presentation: Intracranial Hemorrhage As A Symptom Of Acute Leukemic Transformation In A 23-Year Old Male, Kelsey M. Murray, Kishan Patel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

This case highlights the urgency of considering acute leukemic transformation in young patients presenting with neurological deficits, emphasizing the importance of prompt evaluation and management to optimize patient outcomes. The case depicted is a tragic complication of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and its acute blast crisis. Remarkably, the patient exhibited none of the typical constitutional symptoms associated with CML.

National Inpatient Sample Analysis: Examining Clinical Outcomes In Cardiac Ablation Patients With Hyperlipidemia, Tony Elias, Mena Elmalh, Kyrillos Girgis, Taha Syed, Rafail Beshai

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background Cardiac ablation, utilizing radiofrequency or cryoablation, is a therapeutic approach for correcting abnormal heart rhythms by disrupting specific electrical pathways within the heart. Despite the growing utilization of cardiac ablation, limited research exists on the impact of hyperlipidemia, a prevalent cardiovascular risk factor, on outcomes in patients undergoing this procedure. Previous studies underscore the importance of understanding how comorbid conditions, such as hyperlipidemia, influence the efficacy and safety of cardiac ablation.1,2 Consequently, this study aimed to leverage the national inpatient sample database to investigate in-hospital outcomes among cardiac ablation patients with hyperlipidemia.

Methods Data from the National Inpatient Sample …

Morel Lavallee Lesion: A Shear Fascia-Nating Soft Tissue Injury, Isaac F. Su, James A. Espinosa, Alan A. Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Morel-Lavallée lesions (MLLs), first described by their namesake, French physician Victor-Auguste-François Morel-Lavallée, in 1863, represent a distinct category of soft-tissue degloving injuries. These injuries occur when a shearing force disrupts the connection between subcutaneous tissue and fascia, severing lymphatic vessels and capillaries, and leading to an encapsulated collection of lymph, blood, and necrotic fat. Because this space is deep and enclosed, the fluid accumulation cannot easily drain or resolve spontaneously and often an inflammatory capsule develops, further inhibiting resorption. Undiagnosed, patients go on to develop chronic pain, infection, skin necrosis, progressive neurovascular deficits, and, in severe cases, potential loss of …

How Does The Integration Of Wearable Sensor Technology Into Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Impact Functional Outcomes In Stroke Patients?, Kylon T. Coombs, Shikhar Manchanda, Cheryce Daniel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

A literature review was done to assess effectiveness of wearable sensors in stroke rehabilitation. There is a scarcity of clinical trials evaluating their effectiveness from a clinical standpoint. Wearable sensors present an opportunity to collect patient data objectively outside of clinical settings, allowing a more comprehensive analysis of patient rehabilitation in the future.

A search of PUBMED and Scopus was conducted. Keywords “Stroke Rehabilitation”, “Wearable Sensor”, and “Upper Limb” were used to find articles. Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed, and not limited to research within the U.S. Two independent reviewers completed the screening of articles, selecting articles that fit the criteria …

Effects Of Obesity On Patients Undergoing Cardiomems Procedure: Retrospective Cohort Study, Tony Elias, Mena Elmalh, Priya Brahmbhatt, Kyrillos Girgis, Taha Syed, Michael Valderrama, Rafail Beshai

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

★ Remote hemodynamic monitoring (CardioMEMs) is becoming increasingly important for management of chronic heart failure patients.

★ There is limited data looking specifically for obese patients who undergo CardioMEMs implantation.

★ We sought to examine the national inpatient sample database to describe in-hospital outcomes for this demographic

Ultrasound Versus Radiography For Evaluating Surgical Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Sayed H. Aftab, Santiago Martinez-Correa, Minh-Huy Huynh, Wondwossen T. Lerebo, Jorge Delgado, Rebecca Denis, Misun Hwang

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Purpose:

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an abdominal inflammatory condition that is common in premature neonates. Although abdominal radiograph (AR) remains the imaging standard for NEC, it may miss up to 50% of early signs of NEC and has been described to have a sensitivity as low as 15.4% for detecting pneumoperitoneum. Abdominal ultrasound (US) is portable, non-invasive, and allows real-time bowel integrity, movement, and perfusion assessment. We aim to evaluate the concordance between US and AR in detecting NEC features and the diagnostic performance of both modalities in detecting pneumoperitoneum.

Methods and materials:

We conducted an IRB-approved retrospective, cross-sectional, single-center …

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation As A Treatment For Aging-Related Cognitive Disorders: Review Of Published Evidence, Srujan Dadi, Kyle Jackson, Don Shamilov

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and MCI are a major concern in modern neuropsychiatric care, chiefly for their difficult management. This strategic literature review categorizes MCI via the Jak-Bondi criteria and relates it to tES treatment paradigms. Commonly used outcome measures and regional brain mapping data synergizes associations between MCI pathology and potential tES treatment targets. Effect sizes were calculated and attributed to outcome measures based on primary articles evaluating the efficacy of tES. These were then corresponded to a desired Jack-Bondi classification. A better understanding of the efficacy of tES on specific brain regions in synergy with diagnostic criteria will allow …

Cost-Effectiveness And Outcomes Of Utilizing Tisagenlecleucel Therapy (Car T-Cell) In Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia In Comparison To Standard Of Care (Soc) Therapies: A Scoping Review, Andrew Atschinow, Evangeline Attota, Warren Chan, Pooja Kasarapu, Priyal Shah, Karina Vizzoni

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Aims

This review aims to assess the correlations between outcomes and cost of treatment methods for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, specifically comparing CAR T-cell therapy and Standard-of-Care (SoC) therapy. The socioeconomic background of patients will also be taken into consideration to see if there are differences in their outcomes.

Methods

Peer-reviewed publications were collected from PubMed and Web of Science. The keyword strings used were “acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” “pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” “pediatric,” “CAR T-cell therapy,” and “cost-effectiveness.” 27 citations were obtained. Titles were screened by 6 authors. Articles met the inclusion criteria including potential Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) …

Using Fmri To Assess Effectiveness Of Olanzapine Treatment For Schizophrenia, William Kyle Copenhaver, David F. Lo, Hanna Rothenberg, Eeshan Khurana, Valerie Rome, Uzayr Wasif, Don D. Shamilov

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Schizophrenia is a complex mental illness with neurobiological underpinnings and misconceptions about violence. Schizophrenia is associated with high levels of creativity and structural traits like fewer D2 receptors. Patients face reduced life expectancy due to cardiovascular diseases and cope through smoking and sedentariness. Treatment involves pharmacological antipsychotics like olanzapine and nonpharmacological approaches. Olanzapine works by antagonizing D2 receptors but has side effects like weight gain and diabetes risk. fMRI is used to study treatment mechanisms and predict response, but research on olanzapine's brain network effects is limited.

Sex Differences In Outcomes Among Patients Who Underwent Cardiac Ablation: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Tony Elias, Mena Elmalh, Kyrillos Girgis, Taha Syed, Rafail Beshai

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background Cardiac ablation, encompassing radiofrequency and cryoablation modalities, is a therapeutic intervention targeting abnormal heart rhythms by disrupting electrical pathways within the heart. Despite its widespread use, research focusing on sex-specific outcomes among patients undergoing cardiac ablation remains limited. Understanding potential sex differences in treatment response and outcomes is crucial for optimizing patient care and outcomes.1,2 Therefore, this retrospective cohort study aimed to analyze the national inpatient sample database to assess in-hospital outcomes among patients undergoing cardiac ablation, specifically focusing on sex disparities.

Methods Data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) Database for the years 2019 and 2020 were utilized …

Clinical Outcomes For Impella Patients Associated With Hyperlipidemia: An Analysis Of The National Inpatient Sample, Tony Elias, Sonika Vatsa, Kyrillos Gamal, Taha Syed, Rafail Beshai

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The Impella, a ventricular assist device, is crucial for managing severe heart failure and cardiogenic shock. Despite its widespread use, there's scant information on how hyperlipidemia affects Impella patients. To address this gap, we delved into the National Inpatient Sample Database from 2019 and 2020. Our aim was to scrutinize in-hospital outcomes among these patients. We identified 8233 Impella patients, among whom 1012 (12.3%) had hyperlipidemia. Those with hyperlipidemia displayed higher rates of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease compared to their counterparts without hyperlipidemia. Shockingly, in-hospital mortality was notably elevated in the hyperlipidemia group, emphasizing its clinical significance. …

Qualitative Vs. Quantitative Train Of Four, Caleb Culbreath

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The growing body of evidence linking residual neuromuscular blockade (NMB) to postoperative complications has underscored the need to integrate quantitative neuromuscular monitoring techniques into anesthesia practice. This study, conducted at a tertiary care center in southern Illinois, investigates the gap between current clinical practices and the latest evidence advocating for objective monitoring. The study utilized a non-experimental pretest-posttest design to evaluate an educational intervention's effectiveness in increasing anesthesia providers' knowledge of quantitative neuromuscular monitoring techniques and enhancing their awareness of the incidence and clinical implications of postoperative residual neuromuscular blockade. Analysis of the pretest and post-test responses revealed significant improvements …