5 research outputs found
Portable instrument for the volume measurement of high-frequency percussive ventilators
No full textIn recent years, the usefulness of High Frequency Percussive Ventilation (HFPV) has been clinically valued as a suitable alternative to conventional mechanical ventilation especially in particularly conditions (for example in pulmonary resection [1]).
It acquires the flow with a sampling rate of 2 KHz, computes the volume every 64 samples by numerical integration and sends the values to a visualization device (Hewlett Packard HP50g) that updates the numerical value and the volume plot every 32 milliseconds.
The results show that the sampling frequency of the VT+ (50 Hz) is insufficient in the case of percussive ventilation, producing unacceptable errors (about 20%) in the volume evaluation; on the contrary, the sampling frequency of our system (2 KHz) allows to gain correct results.
In conclusion, the suitable sampling frequency together with the system portability allow our device to realize a precise monitoring of respiratory parameters, during HFPV, of patients in surgery room or in intensive care unit
In vitro measurement of respiratory mechanics during HFPV using a mechanical lung model
No full textHigh-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) may be defined as flow-regulated time-cycled ventilation that creates controlled pressure and delivers a series of high-frequency subtidal volumes in combination with low-frequency breathing cycles. In recent years, the usefulness of HFPV has been clinically assessed as an alternative to conventional mechanical ventilation. In the clinical practice, HFPV is not an intuitive ventilatory modality and the absence of real-time delivered volume monitoring produces disaffection among the physicians. For this purpose, it would be useful to develop a monitor able to realize a complete online characterization of high-frequency percussive ventilators and to identify the best combination of their parameters according to the specific pathological situation. This paper describes an innovative acquisition and elaboration system based on the use of new generation pressure transducers presenting high sensitivity and fast response. Such a system is compact and inexpensive, and it allows the user to carry out a more correct online characterization of high-frequency percussive ventilators. This output allowed best real-time ventilatory setting, minimizing the potential baro-volutrauma hazard
Development of an innovative instrument for the online characterization of high frequency percussive ventilators
No full textF-144SUPRAVENTRICULAR TACHYARRHYTHMIA AFTER MAJOR THORACIC SURGERY AND CARDIOPULMONARY EXERCISE TEST: THE PREDICTIVE POWER OF MINUTE VENTILATION-TO-CARBON DIOXIDE OUTPUT
No full textSexual Functioning and Opioid Maintenance Treatment in Women. Results From a Large Multicentre Study
No full textOpioid maintenance treatment (OMT) is the most widespread therapy for both females and males opioid addicts. While many studies have evaluated the OMT impact on men’s sexuality, the data collected about the change in women’s sexual functioning is still limited despite the fact that it is now well-known that opioids - both endogenous and exogenous - affect the endocrine system and play an important role in sexual functioning. The present study aims to determine how OMT with buprenorphine (BUP) or methadone (MTD) affects sexual health in women; examining also any possible emerging correlation between sexual dysfunction (SD), type of opioid and patients’ mental health. This multi-center study case recruited 258 female volunteers attending Italian public Addiction Outpatients Centers that were stabilized with OMT for at least 3 months. SD was assessed with the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale. The twelve-item General Health Questionnaire was used to assess participants’ mental health conditions. The results show that 56.6% of women receiving OMT for at least 3 months presented SD without significant differences between MTD e BUP groups. The majority of the subjects with SD have a poorer quality of intimate relationships and worse mental health than the average. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the largest report on the presence of SDs in women as a side effects of MTD and BUP used in OMT. Since SDs cause difficulties in intimate relationships, lower patients’ quality of life and interfere with OMT beneficial outcomes, we recommend that women undertaking an opioid therapy have routine screening for SD and we highlight the importance to better examine opioid-endocrine interactions in future studies in order to provide alternative potential treatments such as the choice of opioid, opioid dose reduction and hormone supplementation
