A genetic algorithm for self-supervised models of oscillatory neurodynamics.

More than 3 million children undergo ambulatory surgery in the United States annually. The induction of anesthesia is potentially the most stressful event that a child experiences during the entire perioperative period. Younger children experience increased perioperative anxiety. In addition, anxiety during anesthesia induction is known to cause adverse postoperative behavioral effects, including a higher incidence of emergence delirium. Sedative premedication, such as midazolam, is used to reduce distress. However, it can delay a patient's recovery and discharge. Therefore, nonpharmacological methods to improve the patient experience during the induction process have significant preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative implications. Emerging research in anesthesiology has increasingly focused on nonpharmacological interventions, such as video games on a tablet, cartoons, and more, to enhance the patient experience during induction. Interactive interventions such as video games, when compared with more passive techniques, have demonstrated greater effectiveness in reducing anxiety during induction, due to the cognitive and motor absorption required by the activity. In this era of technological advancement, a new tool has been introduced to the medical space: augmented reality (AR). AR is a technology that uses a smartphone and special glasses to overlay a computer-generated image onto the real world. For example, a patient in the operating room (OR) can see the medical setting and health care providers around him/her in addition to the AR's animated figures. Most recently, AR has been used within the pediatric space to distract patients during intravenous access, dental care, burn care, and oncological care.