Benefits from Funding the MSD Engineering List: A Fiscal Year 1999 Case Study

Every year the Air Force Material Command (AFMC) funds the MSD Engineering list. The projects on the list are submitted by the Air Logistic Centers in order to address problems with the maintainability or reliability of a reparable part. AFMC funds the projects to determine the root cause of the problem and find the best solution to fix the part. Since the MSD Engineering list is funded in order to improve maintainability and reliability, not as a cost savings initiative, the actual benefits gained from the funds spent on the MSD Engineering list have not been identified. This thesis uses the FY99 MSD Engineering list as a representative sample of all MSD Engineering lists to identify how much of the money spent on the projects actually results in a benefit to the Air Force. Additionally, this study attempts to determine if there are any factors that correlate with projects that benefit the Air Force, and any common factors in projects that did not benefit the Air Force. Finally, this project attempts to describe the types of benefit the Air Force receives from the MSD Engineering list

An Evening of Brahms

Kemp Recital Hall Saturday Afternoon November 17, 2001 3:00p.m

Assessment of a continuous blood gas monitoring system in animals during circulatory stress

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The study was aimed to determine the measurement accuracy of The CDI™ blood parameter monitoring system 500 (Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Corporation, Ann Arbor MI) in the real-time continuous measurement of arterial blood gases under different cardiocirculatory stress conditions</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Inotropic stimulation (Dobutamine 2.5 and 5 μg/kg/min), vasoconstriction (Arginine-vasopressin 4, 8 and 16 IU/h), hemorrhage (-10%, -20%, -35%, and -50% of the theoretical volemia), and volume resuscitation were induced in ten swine (57.4 ± 10.7 Kg).Intermittent blood gas assessments were carried out using a routine gas analyzer at any experimental phase and compared with values obtained at the same time settings during continuous monitoring with CDI™ 500 system. The Bland-Altman analysis was employed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bias and precision for pO₂were - 0.06 kPa and 0.22 kPa, respectively (r²= 0.96); pCO₂- 0.02 kPa and 0.15 kPa, respectively; pH -0.001 and 0.01 units, respectively ( r²= 0.96). The analysis showed very good agreement for SO₂(bias 0.04,precision 0.33, r²= 0.95), Base excess (bias 0.04,precision 0.28, r²= 0.98), HCO₃(bias 0.05,precision 0.62, r²= 0.92),hemoglobin (bias 0.02,precision 0.23, r²= 0.96) and K⁺(bias 0.02, precision 0.27, r²= 0.93). The sensor was reliable throughout the experiment during hemodynamic variations.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Continuous blood gas analysis with the CDI™ 500 system was reliable and it might represent a new useful tool to accurately and timely monitor gas exchange in critically ill patients. Nonetheless, our findings need to be confirmed by larger studies to prove its reliability in the clinical setting.</p