Functionalised alginate flow seeding microparticles for use in Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV).

Alginate microparticles as flow seeding fulfil all the requirements that are recommended for the velocity measurements in Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). These spherical microparticles offer the advantage of being environmentally friendly, having excellent seeding properties and they can be produced via a very simple process. In the present study, the performances of alginate microparticles functionalised with a fluorescent dye, Rhodamine B (RhB), for PIV have been studied. The efficacy of fluorescence is appreciated in a number of PIV applications since it can boost the signal-to-noise ratio. Alginate microparticles functionalised with RhB have high emission efficiency, desirable match with fluid density and controlled size. The study of the particles behaviour in strong acid and basic solutions and ammonia is also included. This type of particles can be used for measurements with PIV and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) simultaneously, including acid-base reactions.

Manual versus mechanical chest compression in in-hospital cardiac arrest: A retrospective cohort in emergency department patients.

OBJECTIVE: Mechanical chest compression (CC) devices are frequently used in in-hospital and out-of-hospital settings. In this study, mechanical and manual CC in in-hospital cardiac arrest was compared in terms of survival. METHODS: Adult patients who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) for 2 years period and had cardiac arrest in the ED were included in this retrospective, observational study. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 7-day and 30-day survival and hospital discharge data were compared between the two groups of patients who underwent manual CC and those who had mechanical CC with the Lund University Cardiac Assist System-2 device. RESULTS: Although the rate of ROSC in the mechanical CC group was lower than in the manual CC group, this difference was not statistically significant (41.7% vs. 50.4%; P = 0.133). The 7-day survival rate was found to be statistically significantly higher in the mechanical CC group (19.4% vs. 8.9%; P = 0.012). The 30-day survival rate was also found to be high in the mechanical CC group, but this difference was not statistically significant (10.6% vs. 7.3%; P = 0.339). CONCLUSION: In the light of these results, we can say that the use of piston-based mechanical CC devices in ED may be beneficial. More reliable results can be obtained with a prospective study to be performed in the ED.