title: Imaging screening of catastrophic neurological events using a software tool: preliminary results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Portugal, as in most countries, the most frequent organ donors are brain-dead donors. To answer the increasing need for transplants, donation programs have been implemented. The goal is to recognize virtually all the possible and potential brain-dead donors admitted to hospitals. The aim of this work was to describe preliminary results of a software application designed to identify devastating neurological injury victims who may progress to brain death and can be possible organ donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an observational, longitudinal study with retrospective data collection. The software application is an automatic algorithm based on natural language processing for selected keywords/expressions present in the cranio-encephalic computerized tomography (CE CT) scan reports to identify catastrophic neurological situations, with e-mail notification to the Transplant Coordinator (TC). The first 7 months of this application were analyzed and compared with the standard clinical evaluation methodology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The imaging identification tool showed a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 66%; predictive positive value (PPV) was 0.8 and predictive negative value (PNV) was 0.7 for the identification of catastrophic neurological events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The methodology proposed in this work seems promising in improving the screening efficiency of critical neurological events.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Organ Donation Coordination, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal; Intensive Care Department, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal. Electronic address: apm.fernandes@gmail.com.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Hospital Organ Donation Coordination, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal; B Surgery Department, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: CI2 - Centro de Investigação e Criatividade em Informática, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veiga
authors.affiliation: CI2 - Centro de Investigação e Criatividade em Informática, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ermida
authors.affiliation: CI2 - Centro de Investigação e Criatividade em Informática, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vardasca
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011174:Portugal; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012984:Software; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*