Computation of stochastic background from extreme mass ratio inspiral populations for LISA

Extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) are among the primary targets for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The extreme mass ratios of these systems result in relatively weak GW signals, that can be individually resolved only for cosmologically nearby sources (up to $z\approx2$). The incoherent piling up of the signal emitted by unresolved EMRIs generate a confusion noise, that can be formally treated as a stochastic GW background (GWB). In this paper, we estimate the level of this background considering a collection of astrophysically motivated EMRI models, spanning the range of uncertainties affecting EMRI formation. To this end, we employed the innovative Augmented Analytic Kludge waveforms and used the full LISA response function. For each model, we compute the GWB SNR and the number of resolvable sources. Compared to simplified computations of the EMRI signals from the literature, we find that for a given model the GWB SNR is lower by a factor of $\approx 2$ whereas the number of resolvable sources drops by a factor 3-to-5. Nonetheless, the vast majority of the models result in potentially detectable GWB which can also significantly contribute to the overall LISA noise budget in the 1-10 mHz frequency range

Electrophysiological efficacy of temperature-controlled bipolar radiofrequency†

OBJECTIVE Clinical success of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation depends on persistent block of electrical conduction across the ablation lines. The fate of ablations performed with temperature-controlled bipolar radiofrequency (RF) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to validate the electrophysiological (EP) efficacy of these lesions, recording pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) after open chest ablation, in the human being. METHODS Ten consecutive mitral patients (mean age: 53 ± 12 years) with concomitant AF were treated with the Cobra Revolution (Estech, San Ramon, CA, USA) bipolar RF device were enrolled for EP assessment. During surgery, pairs of additional temporary wires were positioned on the right PVs (RPV) and on the roof of the left atrium (RLA), before ablation. Pacing thresholds (PTs) were assessed before, after a single encircling ablation and at chest's closure. EP study was repeated before discharge and at 3 weeks. RLA wires served as control. RESULTS Baseline PTs were 0.83 ± 0.81 mA (range 0.2-3 mA) from RPV and 1.13 ± 0.78 mA (range 0.3-3 mA) from RLA. PVI was reached in all patients acutely, and was maintained at 1 week. At 3 weeks, the PTs were 14.3 ± 4.3 mA from RPV (range 7-20 mA) and 3.1 ± 1.3 mA (range 1.5-7 mA) from RLA. All patients were discharged in sinus rhythm. CONCLUSIONS Cobra Revolution temperature-controlled bipolar RF provides complete PVI after a single ablation up to 1 week. This notwithstanding, only 30% of patients were completely isolated (exit block validation) at 3 week

Digital interprofessional communication with families in a cardiac surgery unit: insights from the pandemic.

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic entailed cutting off the usual access to hospitals, denying patients daily visits from their relatives and friends. The standard communication between medical staff and relatives also suffered, with a perceived negative impact on overall care. We developed an electronic communication solution to re-establish a proactive daily communication with patients' families. METHODS The communication software allowed families to receive daily interprofessional (medical, nursing, and physiotherapy) updates by text message, on patients' postoperative clinical state. Appreciation and performance of this communication was evaluated through a prospective randomised study. Two groups were compared (group D, 32 patients "Digital" receiving daily SMS, and group S, 16 patients "Standard" without SMS), assessing satisfaction through dedicated surveys under COVID-19 restrictions. Moreover, private outgoing vs. incoming communication flow between patients and their relatives (phone calls and text messages, for both groups) were analysed at different timeframes of the postoperative hospital stay. RESULTS Mean age of the population was 66 ± 7 years for both groups. The digital communication service was successfully adopted in group D in all cases, sending overall 155 communications (4.84 per patient). Calls received from relatives were 13 in group D vs. 22 in group S (0.4 vs. 1.4 calls per patient, p = 0.002). Patients' outgoing vs. incoming traffic flow was equal in the two groups for every timeframe (first two postoperative days vs. the rest), independently from digital communication. Comparing satisfaction of communication (from 1 to 7), level of information and understandability resulted in 6.7 in group D vs. 5.6 in group S (p = 0.004). Appreciation of digital communication was highest during the first three postoperative days. CONCLUSION The restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic generated simple and effective ideas on digital solutions for interprofessional communication. Offering this digital service, which complements rather than replace the classic communication, eased the need of the families to be informed and significantly enhanced the overall satisfaction regarding the healthcare service. SUMMARY The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted access to hospital patients and cut off physical contact, denying patients, their families, and medical staff the necessary constant communication about the progress of their stay. It has become necessary, therefore, to compensate for the lack of "physical" face-to-face interaction by introducing innovative digital communication solutions. Our interprofessional project aims to assess the overall satisfaction and acceptance of digital communication service between the hospital and the families, updating on postoperative clinical condition of patients. Specifically, the introduction of a digital communication module attached to the electronic patient record allows relatives to be informed on a daily basis. The development of this module/software enabled families to receive daily, interprofessional and proactive digital updates, on their relative ones' postoperative stay

BIM Digital Platform for First Aid: Firefighters, Police, Red Cross

This document explains the use of BIM in emergency response scenarios, considering both the current rescue procedures and the innovative development of a digital platform able to support first aid, firefighters, civil protection, police, traffic wardens, etc. This ongoing study has a practical aim: to allow all rescuers to intervene promptly and safely in places where there are alarm conditions. Thanks to the BIM methodology, linked to indoor navigation of the building and Google Maps tools, in case of an intervention users will be able to query a digital model for information. Starting from these premises, this paper assumes and analyses the methodology and tools used to develop the project of a BIM digital platform for first aid

Digital interprofessional communication with families in a cardiac surgery unit: insights from the pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic entailed cutting off the usual access to hospitals, denying patients daily visits from their relatives and friends. The standard communication between medical staff and relatives also suffered, with a perceived negative impact on overall care. We developed an electronic communication solution to re-establish a proactive daily communication with patients’ families.MethodsThe communication software allowed families to receive daily interprofessional (medical, nursing, and physiotherapy) updates by text message, on patients’ postoperative clinical state. Appreciation and performance of this communication was evaluated through a prospective randomised study. Two groups were compared (group D, 32 patients “Digital” receiving daily SMS, and group S, 16 patients “Standard” without SMS), assessing satisfaction through dedicated surveys under COVID-19 restrictions. Moreover, private outgoing vs. incoming communication flow between patients and their relatives (phone calls and text messages, for both groups) were analysed at different timeframes of the postoperative hospital stay.ResultsMean age of the population was 66 ± 7 years for both groups. The digital communication service was successfully adopted in group D in all cases, sending overall 155 communications (4.84 per patient). Calls received from relatives were 13 in group D vs. 22 in group S (0.4 vs. 1.4 calls per patient, p = 0.002). Patients’ outgoing vs. incoming traffic flow was equal in the two groups for every timeframe (first two postoperative days vs. the rest), independently from digital communication. Comparing satisfaction of communication (from 1 to 7), level of information and understandability resulted in 6.7 in group D vs. 5.6 in group S (p = 0.004). Appreciation of digital communication was highest during the first three postoperative days.ConclusionThe restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic generated simple and effective ideas on digital solutions for interprofessional communication. Offering this digital service, which complements rather than replace the classic communication, eased the need of the families to be informed and significantly enhanced the overall satisfaction regarding the healthcare service.SummaryThe COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted access to hospital patients and cut off physical contact, denying patients, their families, and medical staff the necessary constant communication about the progress of their stay. It has become necessary, therefore, to compensate for the lack of “physical” face-to-face interaction by introducing innovative digital communication solutions. Our interprofessional project aims to assess the overall satisfaction and acceptance of digital communication service between the hospital and the families, updating on postoperative clinical condition of patients. Specifically, the introduction of a digital communication module attached to the electronic patient record allows relatives to be informed on a daily basis. The development of this module/software enabled families to receive daily, interprofessional and proactive digital updates, on their relative ones’ postoperative stay