National Foundation of Emergency Medicine Scholars, Monique Antionette Smith, MD and Gabriel Wardi, MD, received funding for a multi-institution study in order to use big data to predict the need for delayed tracheal intubation in Emergency Department patients.

TUCSON, Ariz. — To encourage COVID-19 related research, the National Foundation of Emergency Medicine (NFEM) has awarded research funding for NFEM emergency medicine scholars across the country. Monique Antoinette Smith, MD, MSc, the Founding Director of Health DesignED, the Acute Care Design + Innovation Center at Emory University and Gabriel Wardi, MD, MPH, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of California San Diego both received $15,000 grants from the foundation for their multi-institutional project. The researchers aim to develop an algorithm to better predict the need for delayed tracheal intubation in emergency department (ED) patients.   

Respiratory failure and need for mechanical ventilation is the most common reason that COVID-19 patients are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Early prediction of which patients are likely to require mechanical ventilation may prompt a change in management plans and help the emergency medicine team plan for safer tracheal intubations, a major source of healthcare worker transmission of COVID-19. Additionally, patients with a very low risk of tracheal intubation can be identified and may be safely admitted to a non-ICU level of care, reducing unnecessary intubations.   

“The demand for accurate prognostication of the need for mechanical ventilation is important,” said Gabriel Wardi, MD, MPH. “Early identification and increased situational awareness of such patients allows for safe tracheal intubation in order to avoid the potential for high-risk ‘crash’ intubations.”  

The collaborative research team has a history of using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict negative outcomes like sepsis or mechanical ventilation. “We aim to train and develop a two-layer feedforward neural network to predict the onset of mechanical ventilation from 3 to 48 hours in advance of tracheal intubation in ED patients,” said Monique Antoinette Smith, MD, MSc. “After we develop this model, we can use transfer learning to fine tune the model to predict delayed tracheal intubation in patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.” Transfer learning is a technique used in machine learning to translate patterns and extracted features learning in one setting—then generalize those patterns in another setting. 

About the NFEM Scholar/Mentor Program 

Both Dr. Smith and Dr. Wardi are part of NFEM’s Scholar/Mentor Program. The Scholar/Mentor Program is a 2-year program that matches junior faculty members in an academic track in Emergency Medicine with mentors at their institution. This program provides an opportunity for scholars from 10 partner institutions to work on translational medicine research and foster professional development. Dr. Smith and Dr. Wardi are two of nine scholar-mentor pairs who will receive funding for their COVID-19 related research projects. Dr. Smith is mentored by Jonathan Rupp, PhD, an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Emory University, and Dr. Wardi is mentored by Stephen R. Hayden, MD, a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of California, San Diego College of Medicine.  

Read more about other COVID-19 related research other NFEM scholars are involved in here.

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About the National Foundation of Emergency Medicine   

The National Foundation of Emergency Medicine was founded in 2010 in order to encourage and support the development of career academic emergency medicine scientists. The Scholar/Mentor Program has been running for 3 years, producing three cohorts of scholars and mentors from 10 partner institutions across the United States.   

NFEM Board of Directors include Michael Rolnick, MD, David Taylor, MD, Harvey Meislin, MD, David Sheehan, Esquire, and Charles Cairns, MD, who reviewed and approved the eight grant proposals by nine Foundation Scholars interested in COVID-19 related research. Karen Lutrick, PhD is the NFEM Director of Programs and Operations. Dr. Lutrick coordinated the grant application process and will provide support and guidance to the scholars as they begin their research projects.   

The National Foundation of Emergency Medicine’s mission is to:  

•       Serve as a national platform for the improvement and expansion of research in Emergency Medicine 
•       Advance best practices and clinical excellence in Emergency Medicine 
•       Identify and support emergency medicine academic physicians to engage in and fund multi-institutional testing and research 

For more information, email: info@NFOEM.com (Follow us on Twitter).