Sputtering of micro-carbon-silver film (μC-Ag) for endotracheal tubes to mitigate respiratory infections.

Polyurethane (PU) substrates are biocompatible materials widely used to manufacture endotracheal tubes. However, in common with other biomedical materials, they are liable to the formation of microbial films. The occurrence of pneumonia in intubated patients treated at intensive care units often takes the form of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

In vitro 2D PIV measurements and related aperture areas of tricuspid bioprosthetic mitral valves at the beginning of diastole.

Purpose: Besides ventricular parameters, the design and angular orientation of a prosthetic heart valve induce a specific flow field. The aim of this study was to know the inflow characteristics of a left ventricular model (LVM), investigating the behavior of tricuspid bioprosthetic mitral valves in terms of velocity profiles and related valve aperture areas at the beginning of diastole, under different conditions.

Methods: 3 heart rates (HRs) were established in the LVM and each mitral bioprosthesis (27 and 31 mm diameter) was installed in 2 orientations, rotated by 180° .

Influence of Tricuspid Bioprosthetic Mitral Valve Orientation Regarding the Flow Field Inside the Left Ventricle: In Vitro Hydrodynamic Characterization Based on 2D PIV Measurements.

The flow patterns of a prosthetic heart valve in the aortic or mitral position can change according to its type and orientation. This work describes the use of 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV) applied to the in vitro flow fields characterization inside the upper part of a left ventricular model at various heart rates and as a function of two orientations of stented tricuspid mitral bioprostheses. In the ventricular model, each mitral bioprosthesis (27 and 31 mm diameter) was installed in two orientations, rotated by 180°, while the aortic bileaflet mechanical valve (27 mm diameter) remained in a fixed orientation.