scholarly journals Tunable Blood Shunt for Neonates With Complex Congenital Heart Defects

Author(s):  
Ellen Garven ◽  
Christopher B. Rodell ◽  
Kristen Shema ◽  
Krianthan Govender ◽  
Samantha E. Cassel ◽  
...  

Despite advancements in procedures and patient care, mortality rates for neonatal recipients of the Norwood procedure, a palliation for single ventricle congenital malformations, remain high due to the use of a fixed-diameter blood shunt. In this study, a new geometrically tunable blood shunt was investigated to address limitations of the current treatment paradigm (e.g., Modified Blalock-Taussig Shunt) by allowing for controlled modulation of blood flow through the shunt to accommodate physiological changes due to the patient’s growth. First, mathematical and computational cardiovascular models were established to investigate the hemodynamic requirements of growing neonatal patients with shunts and to inform design criteria for shunt diameter changes. Then, two stages of prototyping were performed to design, build and test responsive hydrogel systems that facilitate tuning of the shunt diameter by adjusting the hydrogel’s degree of crosslinking. We examined two mechanisms to drive crosslinking: infusion of chemical crosslinking agents and near-UV photoinitiation. The growth model showed that 15–18% increases in shunt diameter were required to accommodate growing patients’ increasing blood flow; similarly, the computational models demonstrated that blood flow magnitudes were in agreement with previous reports. These target levels of diameter increases were achieved experimentally with model hydrogel systems. We also verified that the photocrosslinkable hydrogel, composed of methacrylated dextran, was contact-nonhemolytic. These results demonstrate proof-of-concept feasibility and reflect the first steps in the development of this novel blood shunt. A tunable shunt design offers a new methodology to rebalance blood flow in this vulnerable patient population during growth and development.

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 871-879
Author(s):  
Rajesh Shrivastava ◽  
R. S. Chandel ◽  
Ajay Kumar ◽  
Keerty Shrivastava and Sanjeet Kumar

Author(s):  
Nadezhda I. Kuprina ◽  
Ekaterina V. Ulanovskaya ◽  
Olga A. Kochetova

Introduction. Vibration disease (VD) is an example of the most common pathology due to the systematic exposure of the worker to intense vibration with sufficient work experience, the main manifestation of which is peripheral angiodystonic syndrome. The aim of study was to learn the features of peripheral blood flow in the arteries of the forearm in vibration disease using the ultrasound method. Materials and methods. The radial and ulnar arteries in patients with vibration disease were examined by ultrasound in B- and PW-mode. These materials present the results of an ultrasound assessment of the speed indicators of the main arteries of the forearm in vibration disease stages 1 and 2. The selection criteria for patients in the study ware the presence of pronounced clinical manifestations of angiodystonic syndrome in vibration disease, confirmed by instrumental research methods and data on the sanitary and hygienic characteristics of working conditions, the absence of cardiovascular chronic diseases (ischemic heart disease, heart defects, rhythm and conduction disturbances), rheumatic, oncological, infectious diseases, osteo-traumatic changes in the upper extremities. Results. The groups of patients with the established diagnosis of vibration disease of 1 and 2 degrees were studied. With vibration disease stage 1 a decrease in the pulse velocity of blood flow was observed in isolation on the ulnar artery and an increase in peripheral resistance (pulsation index and resistance index) in the radial and ulnar arteries symmetrically on both upper extremities. The second stage of vibration disease differed from the first by a more significant decrease in speed indicators both on the ulnar and radial arteries on both sides, symmetrically in combination with a more pronounced increase in peripheral resistance indicators on both main arteries of the forearm (pulsation index and resistance index). The revealed changes were determined with the same frequency in men and women. Conclusions. A significant decrease in speed indicators on the ulnar artery and an increase in peripheral resistance indicators are detected already at the initial stages of vibration disease. Thus, the method of ultrasound examination of the main arteries of the middle caliber of the upper extremities is currently the only available and objective method for examining the vascular system in vibration disease.


1997 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 271-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fermin Rivera ◽  
Alan Warren ◽  
Colin R. Curds ◽  
Esperanza Robles ◽  
Alejandro Gutierrez ◽  
...  

A two-stage system for treating high-strength wastewater from an abattoir at Pachuca, Mexico is described. The system consists of an anaerobic digester followed by an artificially-constructed wetland which employs horizontal subsurface flow through the root zone of emergent hydrophytes planted in a gravel substrate. The main goals of this study were to monitor the treatment efficiency of the system for the first twelve months of operation and to assess the suitability of the effluent for irrigation purposes. The treatment efficiency during the twelve month period was generally good with mean removal efficiencies of 88.5% for BOD5, 87.4% COD, 89% suspended solids, 73.6% organic nitrogen and >99% faecal coliforms. Removal rates were generally poor for orthophosphates, NH3-nitrogen and NO3-nitrogen. The differing roles of the two stages in the treatment process are discussed. Although not suitable for irrigating crops, the effluent is being successfully used for the irrigation of ornamental plants and recreational lands.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1094 (1) ◽  
pp. 012120
Author(s):  
Hussein Togun ◽  
Ali Abdul Hussain ◽  
Saja Ahmed ◽  
Iman Abdul hussain ◽  
Huda Shaker

Author(s):  
Tuyen Vu Nguyen ◽  
Weiguang Li

The dynamic and hydrodynamic properties of the pad in the fluid pivot journal bearing are investigated in this paper. Preload coefficients, recess area, and size gap, which were selected as input parameters to investigate, are important parameters of fluid pivot journal bearing. The pad’s pendulum angle, lubricant oil flow through the gap, and recess pressure which characterizes the squeeze film damper were investigated with different preload coefficients, recess area, and gap sizes. The computational models were established and numerical methods were used to determine the equilibrium position of the shaft-bearing system. Since then, the pendulum angle of the pad, liquid flow, and recess pressure were determined by different eccentricities.


Dynamics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
Andrea Natale Impiombato ◽  
Giorgio La Civita ◽  
Francesco Orlandi ◽  
Flavia Schwarz Franceschini Zinani ◽  
Luiz Alberto Oliveira Rocha ◽  
...  

As it is known, the Womersley function models velocity as a function of radius and time. It has been widely used to simulate the pulsatile blood flow through circular ducts. In this context, the present study is focused on the introduction of a simple function as an approximation of the Womersley function in order to evaluate its accuracy. This approximation consists of a simple quadratic function, suitable to be implemented in most commercial and non-commercial computational fluid dynamics codes, without the aid of external mathematical libraries. The Womersley function and the new function have been implemented here as boundary conditions in OpenFOAM ESI software (v.1906). The discrepancy between the obtained results proved to be within 0.7%, which fully validates the calculation approach implemented here. This approach is valid when a simplified analysis of the system is pointed out, in which flow reversals are not contemplated.


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