AbStats at the Bedside: Improving Patient Feeding Decisions Using an Abdominal Acoustic Score
AbStats at the Bedside: Improving Patient Feeding Decisions Using an Abdominal Acoustic Score
This study is being conducted to determine whether providers who have access to their
 patients' acoustic intestinal rate score as calculated by an abdominal acoustic sensor that
 continuously monitors bowel sounds (AbStats) will be more likely to advance their patients'
 diets to a solid diet sooner than those who do not have access to this rate. AbStats
 calculates intestinal rates by using two small sensors placed on a patient's abdomen to
 measure and analyze their abdominal sounds.

 Patients will be asked to wear a sensor every morning for 20 minutes while they are fasting
 daily during their inpatient visit. The sensor will measure the sounds within their abdomen.
 This data will be interpreted by the AbStats device, which will provide an intestinal rate
 measurement based on the sounds recorded by the sensors.

 This intestinal rate will be provided to the patient's treating physician together with other
 vital signs. The doctor, at his/her discretion, may choose to use this information to make
 decisions about the patient's feeding status.
The research team will use an abdominal acoustic sensor that continuously monitors bowel
 sounds (AbStats) to obtain acoustic measurements from 50 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC)
 hospital patients by placing a disposable sensor on their abdomen. The sensor will be
 connected to a bedside monitor which records the sounds collected by the sensors and
 interprets them to create an intestinal rate reading, measured as acoustic events per minute.
 The research team will enter this score into the patient's chart and make it available to the
 patient's clinician(s), to use at their discretion to make decisions on whether or not to
 advance their patient's diet based on intestinal rate interpretation guidelines previously
 developed. The entry will provide a numerical intestinal rate with a brief interpretation of
 the score as listed below. This will be based on interpretations of the measures provided by
 the AbStats bedside computer, which have been previously developed in a wider research
 study.6 The scores will be interpreted using the following criteria:

 Fasting intestinal rate score of <3 per minute: Ileus; Consider holding diet advancement
 until there is more evidence of GI function (feeding "red light")

 Fasting intestinal rate score of 3-5 per minute: Slow motility; Consider advancing to liquid
 diet if NPO, assuming it is otherwise medically and surgically appropriate (feeding "yellow
 light")

 Fasting intestinal rate score of >5 per minute: Normal motility; consider advancing to full
 diet if medically and surgically appropriate (feeding "green light")

 Even though these readings will be provided in the patient chart, physicians must use their
 clinical judgment and account for mental status, aspiration risk, medications, surgical and
 medical comorbidities before making any feeding decisions. The intestinal rate is merely a
 new piece of information that provides objective evidence of GI function; it is likely
 superior to current best practices, which are notoriously unreliable for truly determining GI
 functional status and motility.

 The research team will discuss the project with the patient's medical teaching attending
 physician, and will request their approval prior to approaching a patient. Once the doctor's
 approval is secured, researchers will approach the patient and provide them with detailed
 information about the project activities. If they agree to participate, the AbStats sensor
 will be placed on the patient's abdomen every morning for 20 minutes while the patient is
 fasting for the duration of their hospital stay. The sensor will be connected to a bedside
 computer that will process the data and calculate an intestinal rate, which will appear on
 the AbStats' gateway screen. The rate and its time-stamp will be entered into the patient's
 CS-Link (CSMC's EHR) chart by the research team. Once the patient is discharged, their
 participation in the study will be completed.

 After discharge, the patient's chart will be reviewed by a member of the research staff.
 Using the "Dietary Orders" section of the "Active Orders" tab of the "Patient Summary"
 section of the patients CS-Link chart, we will determine the length of time from fasting
 (NPO) to full diet for each patient, as X1-X0, where X1 is time of order to full diet and X0
 is time of hospital admission as noted in the "Encounters" section of the patient chart. Full
 diet will be determined from a dietary order in the chart stating "Diet Regular". The time to
 full diet will be reported in hours.

 Medical residents and members of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Health Services Research
 staff will collect the following data (measures) at the patient's bedside:

 Patient time (hours) to advancement to solid diet Abdominal intestinal rate measured by
 AbStats disposable biosensor
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Awake and alert

 -  Not on a regular diet

 -  No mild to moderate acute pancreatitis

 -  No obstructed bowel not amenable to feeding tube placement beyond the obstruction

 -  No massive GI hemorrhage

 -  No impending or established toxic megacolon

 -  No colonic perforation

 -  No severe dysmotility making enteral feeding not possible

 -  No high output intestinal fistula

 -  Able to access the gut for enteral feeding

 -  No abdominal compartment syndrome

 -  No withdrawal of care/DNAR status

 -  No evidence of severe or prolonged ileus

 -  No hemodynamic compromise (MAP <60) requiring high dose vasopressors alone or in
 combination with large volume fluid or blood product resuscitation to maintain
 cellular perfusion

 -  No diffuse peritonitis

 -  No intractable vomiting

 -  Not pregnant

 -  At least 18 years of age

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Not awake and alert

 -  On regular diet

 -  Mild to moderate acute pancreatitis

 -  Obstructed bowel not amenable to feeding tube placement beyond the obstruction

 -  Massive GI hemorrhage

 -  Impending or established toxic megacolon

 -  Bowel perforation

 -  Severe dysmotility making enteral feeding impossible

 -  High output intestinal fistula

 -  Unable to access the gut for enteral feeding

 -  Abdominal compartment syndrome

 -  Withdrawal of care/DNAR status

 -  Severe ileus with NG output >1200 ml/d or gastric residual volumes >400 with
 additional signs of intolerance including absence of bowel sounds, abdominal
 distention, presence of air/fluid levels on abdominal radiographs

 -  Hemodynamic compromise (MAP <60) requiring high dose vasopressors alone or in
 combination with large volume fluid or blood product resuscitation to maintain
 cellular perfusion

 -  Diffuse peritonitis

 -  Intractable vomiting

 -  Pregnant women

 -  Under 18 years of age