Our Research

QBIct Study

Children who are admitted to the hospital with decreased level of consciousness after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) require urgent medical attention. Treatment will depend on the type and severity of injury. Unfortunately, history and physical findings are often unreliable in the first hours of hospitalization, which is the critical time period in which urgent management decisions must be made.

We have developed a promising tool for measuring detectable evidence of TBI on routine brain scans. The tool combines features invisible to the human eye but detectable by computer software with expert knowledge. We want to evaluate how well our tool can perform in a real health care setting. We believe it will greatly improve the efficacy and quality of care provided to children after TBI.

Lab members involved in the study: Anna Colucci, Geraldine Goco, Helena Frndova, Matthew Van Huyse, Kyla McDonald

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Cerebral hemorrhage prediction in premature infants

This observational study looks to identify patterns in NIRS and non-invasive cerebral signals prior to cerebral hemorrhaging in 27 weeks preterm babies. After parental consent, infants undergo continuous cerebral monitoring using NIRS (cerebrals Sao2) and amplitude integrated EEG for first 72 hours after birth together with serial echocardiograms and head ultrasounds during this period. Understanding early predictive markers of cerebral hemorrhages will help identify infants at risk of developing hemorrhages and those who will benefit from preventative strategies. Preventing cerebral hemorrhages will ultimately improve long term neuro-developmental outcome for these infants.

Lab members involved in the study: Poorva Deshpande, Julia Dirks

RiEEG: Ischemia detection on electroencephalography

RiEEG’s goal is to develop a program that can monitor brain health all the time without invasive procedures at the bedside for critically ill children. Brain waves will be recorded from the child’s scalp and evaluated using computer science techniques, like signal processing and machine learning. The final product is ideally an easy-to-use brain monitoring device that can analyze the brain patterns of ill children to detect changes in function in real time. This will ultimately shorten the window of time between injury and treatment.

Lab members involved in the study: Rishi Lalgudi Ganesan

Closed Studies

Edema and injury quantification

This study examined past CT scan information and compared it to data representing the patient’s function prior to and following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It compared this data to the severity of the TBI sustained in order to determine an algorithm for predicting the child’s functioning following injury. The goal of this study was to select an analysis tool that can read CT scans and compare patterns, providing the clinicians with the ability to better assess the outcome of patient recovery.

Lab members involved in the study: Eva Ta

Music Response Study

The goal of this study is to understand how critically ill children and neonates respond to music using multimodal physiological and cerebral monitoring. The response to music is investigated by measuring autonomic and central nervous system activity. Brain activity is monitored using transcranial Doppler of the middle cerebral artery and near-infrared spectroscopy of the prefrontal cortex. Using these non-invasive brain monitors and additional heart rate and blood pressure monitors the physiological response to music can be investigated. This study will document the physiological and cerebral correlates of music exposure. Existing evidence suggests that music is useful as a non-invasive means of reducing stress in critically ill adults. Bed-side neuro-monitoring may provide a unique means of discerning the effect of music on neonates and children who may be non-verbal. Identifying physiological and cerebral correlates of music will inform future investigations of music as a non-invasive means of improving quality of care in paediatric ICU. This research is sponsored by CREMS

Lab members involved in the study: Saba Moghimi, Jessica Tomasi, Anna Colucci

NIRS Usability Study

This study seeks to identify and repair the barriers to entry posed on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) equipment at the bedside in the critical care unit (CCU). The study aims to find an answer that accommodates the multifaceted requirements of the CCU by collaborating with representatives of each discipline in order to identify barriers from their perspectives and to develop effective and feasible solutions. Ideally, this research will ensure that the necessary equipment is always available at the bedside and that data can be recorded reliably and continuously to support clinical decision-making and patient care.

Lab members involved in the study: Jessica Tomasi, Emily Taylor, Calvin Lau, Kevin Yang

T3 usability study

Tracking, Trajectory, Trigger (T3) is a multi-modal monitoring software developed by Etiometry to record and visualize physiological signals and track patients’ progress in the critical care unit (CCU). The program was recently launched at SickKids as a tool for MDs, RNs and RTs. A human factors engineering approach was used to assess the user-friendliness of the software. In simulation trials, doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists were asked to complete tasks using the software and provide feedback on their experience. This feedback was cycled back to Etiometry to inform iterative improvements to the software.

Lab members involved in the study: Ying Ling Lin, Jessica Tomasi

Publications