Temperature and surgical wound heat loss during orthopedic surgery: computer simulations and measurements

No Abstrac

Self-organized twinning of actuated particles for microfluidic pumping

The motion of monodisperse particle ensembles in fluidic channels actuated by axial magnetic or gravitation forces is studied. Interactions between particles, fluid, and nearby walls induce unforeseen self-organization phenomena. Superparamagnetic microparticles aligned on a channel axis successively organize toward a stable polytwin system under constant force conditions. In the absence of repelling particle interactions, full contact twinning is observed for particles driven by gravity. The mechanisms of successive twinning and spacing regulation are explained by a one-dimensional model based on the axis flow profile. Related performance enhancements for particle based microfluidic pumping are discussed

On-line monitoring of electrolytes in hemodialysis: on the road towards individualizing treatment

Introduction: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients depend on dialysis for removal of toxic waste products, fluid overload relief and maintenance of electrolyte balance. Dialysis prolongs millions of lives. To some extent, ESRD has become a manageable disease with a steadily growing dialysis population of increasing average age and associated comorbidity. During 7 decades many technical refinements have been developed e.g. sodium profiling, blood volume, ultrafiltration variation based on blood pressure measurement, urea kinetics etc. Despite its large potentials, in-line electrolyte monitoring lags behind in dialysis treatment. Areas covered: In this paper, we review the state of technologies available for in-line monitoring of the electrolytes sodium, potassium and calcium during hemodialysis. Expert commentary: We concluded that individual optimization of dialysate composition should be able to improve hard medical outcomes, but practical clinical implementation stands/falls with reliable and affordable in-line ion-selective sensing technology. Optical ion-selective microsensors and microsystems form a promising pathway for individualizing the dialysis treatment

Reversionary rotation of actuated particles for microfluidic near-surface mixing

The off-axis motion of particles actuated by axial magnetic or gravitational forces is studied in fluidic channels. Single actuated superparamagnetic micro-particles starting from channel walls travel towards the channel center and show unforeseen reversionary rotation phenomena. Different stages of co- and counter-rotation are observed in both micro- and macro-scale experiments and are analyzed by means of numerical fluid-dynamics models. The related microfluidic near-surface mixing performance of the rotating actuated particles is discussed