A MEMS-based Benzene Gas Sensor with a Self-heating WO3 Sensing Layer

In the study, a MEMS-based benzene gas sensor is presented, consisting of a quartz substrate, a thin-film WO3 sensing layer, an integrated Pt micro-heater, and Pt interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). When benzene is present in the atmosphere, oxidation occurs on the heated WO3 sensing layer. This causes a change in the electrical conductivity of the WO3 film, and hence changes the resistance between the IDEs. The benzene concentration is then computed from the change in the measured resistance. A specific orientation of the WO3 layer is obtained by optimizing the sputtering process parameters. It is found that the sensitivity of the gas sensor is optimized at a working temperature of 300 °C. At the optimal working temperature, the experimental results show that the sensor has a high degree of sensitivity (1.0 KΩ ppm−1), a low detection limit (0.2 ppm) and a rapid response time (35 s)

Endovascular treatment of a nontraumatic left subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm

Mycotic subclavian artery pseudoaneurysms are rare. There are controversies over the surgical or endovascular approach as the treatment of choice for these lesions. The standard surgical debridement might not be a choice for poorly surgically reachable lesions or for patients with multiple comorbidities. Endovascular aneurysm repair may be an effective alternative in selected cases. This treatment was rarely reported previously. Herein, we present a high-surgical-risk case with a highly suspected left subclavian arterial mycotic pseudoaneurysm, which, although difficult to approach surgically, was successfully managed with stent grafting and a complete antibiotic treatment course. An 89-year-old male was admitted due to intermittent fever and hemoptysis for 2 months. Salmonella group B was cultured from his sputum, and a 3.5 cm pseudoaneurysm was identified by chest multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) angiogram. Endovascular treatment with a graft stent was chosen due to high surgical risk and difficult surgical access to the lesion. The intervention was well planned ad hoc, based on MDCT images and meticulously performed by dual endovascular approaches. Antibiotics were continued after the procedure, and the patient was discharged from the hospital. As MDCT disclosed near-complete regression of the pseudoaneurysms 2 months later and the patient was in healthy status, antibiotics were continued for 6 months. He was readmitted 11 months later due to lacunar infarction with minor pneumonia over the left lower lung in which Salmonella enteritis was also diagnosed. After this acute event, he was again hospitalized 14 days later due to sepsis with adult respiratory distress syndrome and shortly expired despite all emergent treatment measures. No evidence of local subclavian infection recurrence was noted throughout or related to subsequent events. In conclusion, endovascular treatment of an infected subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm could be a choice in selected patients, but treatment of underlying infection determines the clinical outcome

The impact of door-to-electrocardiogram time on door-to-balloon time after achieving the guideline-recommended target rate.

BACKGROUND:Little is known about the components and contributing factors of door-to-balloon time after implementation of Door-to-Balloon Alliance quality-improving (QI) strategies, including the impact of door-to-ECG time on door-to-balloon time. OBJECTIVE:We investigated whether modification of emergency department (ED) triage processes could improve door-to-ECG and door-to-balloon times after implementation of QI strategies. METHODS:This was a retrospective before-and-after study of a prospectively collected database. From June 2014 to October 2014, interventions were implemented in our ED, including a protocol-driven ECG initiation and moving an ECG station and technician to the triage area. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who received ECG within 10 min of arrival; the secondary outcome was the percentage of patients with door-to-balloon times of <90 min from arrival. Patients from the year pre- and post-QI initiative were defined as the control and intervention groups, respectively. RESULTS:Enrollment comprised 214 patients with STEMI: 109 before the intervention and 105 after the intervention. We analyzed the components of the door-to-balloon process and found the door-to-ECG process was the most critical interval of delay (20.8%). Unrecognized symptoms were the most common cause of delay in the door-to-ECG process resulting in a significant impact on the door-to-balloon time. The intervention group had a higher percentage of patients with door-to-ECG times <10 min than did the control group (93.3% vs. 79.8%, p = 0.005), with a corresponding improvement in door-to-balloon times <90 min (91.1% vs. 76.2%, p = 0.007). In subgroup analysis, the intervention benefits occurred only in non-transferred or walk-in patients. After adjustment for possible co-variates, the QI interventions remained a significant contributing factor for achieving the door-to-ECG and door-to-balloon targets. CONCLUSIONS:The modification of ED triage processes through implementation of QI strategies are effective in achieving better door-to-ECG times and thus, achieving door-to-balloon times <90 min. In patients presenting with ambiguous symptoms, improved door-to ECG target achievement rates, through a protocol-driven and multidisciplinary approach allows for earlier identification of STEMI