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Updated: May 7, 2026

Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy
Published on: June 27, 2013
Real-time sample entropy predicts life-saving interventions after the Boston Marathon bombing
Miroslav P Peev1, Leily Naraghi, Yuchiao Chang
1Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Purpose:
Identifying patients in need of a life-saving intervention (LSI) during a mass casualty event is a priority. We hypothesized that real-time, instantaneous sample entropy (SampEn) could predict the need for LSI in the Boston Marathon bombing victims.
Materials And Methods:
Severely injured Boston Marathon bombing victims (n = 10) had sample entropy (SampEn) recorded upon presentation using a continuous 200-beat rolling average in real time. Treating clinicians were blinded to real-time results. The correlation between SampEn, injury severity, number, and type of LSI was examined.
Results:
Victims were males (60%) with a mean age of 39.1 years. Injuries involved lower extremities (50.0%), head and neck (24.2%), or upper extremities (9.7%). Sample entropy negatively correlated with Injury Severity Score (r = -0.70; P = .023), number of injuries (r = -0.70; P = .026), and the number and need for LSI (r = -0.82; P = .004). Sample entropy was reduced under a variety of conditions. (Table see text).
Conclusions:
Sample entropy strongly correlates with injury severity and predicts LSI after blast injuries sustained in the Boston Marathon bombings. Sample entropy may be a useful triage tool after blast injury.
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