In Vitro Comparative Assessment of Mechanical Blood Damage Induced by Different Hemodialysis Treatments.

Gradual deterioration of red blood cells (RBCs) due to mechanical stress (chronic hemolysis) is unavoidable during treatments that involve extracorporeal blood circulation, such as hemodialysis (HD). This effect is generally undetectable and does not generate any acute symptoms, but it leads to an increase in plasma free hemoglobin (fHb). There are no absolute safety levels for fHb increase, indicating the need for an empirical evaluation using comparative testing.

Multidisciplinary evaluation for severity of hazards applied to hemodialysis devices: an original risk analysis method.

Background And Objectives: Risk analysis for medical devices is a crucial process to grant adequate levels of safety. Identification of device exposure-related hazards is one of the main objectives.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: Hazard analysis for hemodialysis devices has been performed by a multidisciplinary team involving engineers and clinical experts.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of an oscillometric device for monitoring blood pressure in dialysis patients.

Background: Nowadays, an increasing number of dialysis machines lodge a blood pressure (BP) measuring device, whose accuracy has a clear implication for the patients' clinical management.

Methods: An automated oscillometric sphygmomanometer (HD-BPM by Gambro Dasco) used during haemodialysis was submitted to both in vitro and in vivo tests, in order to evaluate some modifications aimed at improving measurement accuracy and consistency. The results were compared with those obtained by another oscillometric monitor (BX-100 by Colin).

Effects of acoustic stimulation on cardiovascular regulation during sleep.

The interaction of wake-sleep states and acoustic stimulation on cardiovascular regulation was studied on rats implanted with electroencephalogram and electromyogram electrodes and an arterial catheter. Mild acoustic stimuli (1000 Hz, 90 dB, 50-ms beeps) were administered during Wakefulness (W), non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and REM sleep and the changes induced in heart period (HP, ms) and mean arterial pressure (MAP, mmHg) were analyzed. Two 30-s sequences of beat-to-beat HP and MAP values were considered before (I) and after (II) acoustic stimulation, respectively.