A generic packaging technique using fluidic isolation for low-drift implantable pressure sensors

This paper reports on a generic packaging method for reducing drift in implantable pressure sensors. The described technique uses fluidic isolation by encasing the pressure sensor in a liquid-filled medical-grade polyurethane balloon; thus, isolating it from surrounding aqueous environment that is the major source of baseline drift. In-vitro tests using commercial micromachined piezoresistive pressure sensors show an average baseline drift of 0.006 cmH2O/day (0.13 mmHg/month) for over 100 days of saline soak test, as compared to 0.101 cmH2O/day (2.23 mmHg/month) for a non-fluidic-isolated one soaked for 18 days. To our knowledge, this is the lowest reported drift for an implantable pressure sensor

An Universal Packaging Technique for Low-Drift Implantable Pressure Sensors

Monitoring bodily pressures provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic information. In particular, long-term measurement through implantable sensors is highly desirable in situations where percutaneous access can be complicated or dangerous (e.g., intracranial pressure in hydrocephalic patients). In spite of decades of progress in the fabrication of miniature solid-state pressure sensors, sensor drift has so far severely limited their application in implantable systems. In this paper, we report on a universal packaging technique for reducing the sensor drift. The described method isolates the pressure sensor from a major source of drift, i.e., contact with the aqueous surrounding environment, by encasing the sensor in a silicone-filled medical-grade polyurethane balloon. In-vitro soak tests for 100 days using commercial micromachined piezoresistive pressure sensors demonstrate a stable operation with the output remaining within 1.8 cmH2O (1.3 mmHg) of a reference pressure transducer. Under similar test conditions, a non-isolated sensor fluctuates between 10 and 20 cmH2O (7.4–14.7 mmHg) of the reference, without ever settling to a stable operation regime. Implantation in Ossabow pigs demonstrate the robustness of the package and its in-vivo efficacy in reducing the baseline drift

Traumatic Urethral Injury without Pelvic Fracture in an Adult Female

A 23-year-old female was involved in a motor vehicle collision with multiple injuries, including a right acetabular fracture, but no pelvic fracture. Urology consultation was obtained due to difficulty placing a urethral catheter. Examination revealed a longitudinal urethral tear with vaginal laceration extending 2 cm from the urethral meatus proximally toward the bladder neck. The longitudinal urethral tear was repaired primarily. Traumatic female urethral injury in the absence of a pelvic fracture is an exceedingly rare occurrence

Survey of rehabilitation support for children 0-15 years in a rural part of Kenya

Abstract Purpose: Information regarding the nature, availability and distribution of rehabilitation services for children with disabilities across developing countries is scarce, and data that do exist are of variable quality. If planning and development are to progress, information about service provision is vital. The aim was to establish the scope and nature of rehabilitation support available to children with disabilities (0-15 years) and their families in rural Kenya. Method: A comprehensive sample comprising service provision in the health and special education sectors was established. Non-governmental and community-based organisations were also included. A survey of rehabilitation services was conducted through examination of service-related documentation and key informant interviews with the heads of services. Results: Rehabilitation comprised hospital-based occupational therapy, physiotherapy and orthopaedic technology; and seven special education establishments plus an education assessment resource centre. There was one non-government organisation and one community-based organisation relevant to children with disabilities. Activities focused on assessment, diagnosis and raising community awareness. Provision was challenged by inadequate staffing, resources and transport. Government funding was supplemented variously by donations and self-sufficiency initiatives. Rehabilitation approaches appeared to be informed by professional background of practitioner, rather than the needs of child. Service documentation revealed use of inconsistent recording methods. Conclusions: The data highlight the challenges of rehabilitation, demanding greater investment in personnel and their training, more material resources, improved access to the community and better recording mechanisms. Implications for Rehabilitation There needs to be greater investment in rehabilitation provision in developing countries. Consideration of community-based initiatives is required to support better access for all. In order to argue the case for improved resources, better skills and mechanisms for recording, monitoring and evaluating practice are needed

Media Representations of Breech Birth: A Prospective Analysis of Web-Based News Reports

© 2017 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives Introduction: Recent research has demonstrated that the media presentation of childbirth is highly medicalized, often portraying birth as risky and dramatic. Media representation of breech presentation and birth is unexplored in this context. This study aimed to explore the content and tone of news media reports relating to breech presentation and breech birth. Methods: Google alerts were created using the terms breech and breech birth in online English-language news sites over a 3-year period from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2015. Alerts were received daily and filed for analysis, and data were analyzed to generate themes. Results: A total of 138 web-based news reports were gathered from 9 countries. Five themes that arose from the data included the problem of breech presentation, the high drama of vaginal breech birth, the safe option of cesarean birth versus dangers of vaginal breech birth, the defiant mother versus the saintly mother, and vaginal breech birth and medical misadventure. Discussion: Media reports in this study predominantly demonstrated negative views toward breech presentation and vaginal breech birth. Cesarean birth was portrayed as the safe option for breech birth, while vaginal breech birth was associated with poor outcomes. Media presentations may impact decision making about mode of birth for pregnant women with a breech fetus. Health care providers can play an important role in balancing the media depiction of planned vaginal breech birth by providing nonjudgmental, evidence-based information to such women to facilitate informed decision making for birth

Extinction-to-Backscatter Ratios of Saharan Dust Layers Derived from In-Situ Measurements and CALIPSO Overflights During NAMMA

We determine the aerosol extinction-to-backscatter (Sa) ratios of dust using airborne in-situ measurements of microphysical properties, and CALIPSO observations during the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA). The NAMMA field experiment was conducted from Sal, Cape Verde during Aug-Sept 2006. Using CALIPSO measurements of the attenuated backscatter of lofted Saharan dust layers, we apply the transmittance technique to estimate dust Sa ratios at 532 nm and a 2-color method to determine the corresponding 1064 nm Sa. Using this method, we found dust Sa ratios of 39.8 plus or minus 1.4 sr and 51.8 plus or minus 3.6 sr at 532 nm and 1064 nm, respectively. Secondly, Sa ratios at both wavelengths is independently calculated using size distributions measured aboard the NASA DC-8 and estimates of Saharan dust complex refractive indices applied in a T-Matrix scheme. We found Sa ratios of 39.1 plus or minus 3.5 sr and 50.0 plus or minus 4 sr at 532 nm and 1064 nm, respectively, using the T-Matrix calculations applied to measured size spectra. Finally, in situ measurements of the total scattering (550 nm) and absorption coefficients (532 nm) are used to generate an extinction profile that is used to constrain the CALIPSO 532 nm extinction profile