Saudi J Anaesh, Official publication of Saudi Anaesthetic Association, also accredited by King Saud University

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems tend to rely on the interpretation of purposeful gestures for interaction. Existing AAC methods could be cumbersome and limit the solutions in terms of versatility. The study aims to interpret breathing patterns (BPs) to converse with the outside world by means of a unidirectional microphone and researches breathing-pattern interpretation (BPI) to encode messages in an interactive manner with minimal training. We present BP processing work with (1) output synthesized machine-spoken words (SMSW) along with single-channel Weiner filtering (WF) for signal de-noising, and (2) k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classification of BPs associated with embedded dynamic time warping (DTW). An approved protocol to collect analogue modulated BP sets belonging to 4 distinct classes with 10 training BPs per class and 5 live BPs per class was implemented with 23 healthy subjects. An 86% accuracy of k-NN classification was obtained with decreasing error rates of 17%, 14%, and 11% for the live classifications of classes 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The results express a systematic reliability of 89% with increased familiarity. The outcomes from the current AAC setup recommend a durable engineering solution directly beneficial to the sufferers.

Accidental awareness under general anesthesia (AAGA) is a well-known phenomenon. However, little literature exists in its relation to the psychiatric field, particularly within the electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) setting. This report explores the case of a 52-year-old woman that describes her own experience of AAGA during ECT. Relevant anesthetic details are also provided along with its possible implications in AAGA. The aim of this case report is to increase awareness among clinicians in regard to AAGA and its occurrence during ECT.