From intra- to extra-uterine: early phase design of a transfer to extra-uterine life support through medical simulation.

Introduction: Extra-uterine life support technology could provide a more physiologic alternative for the treatment of extremely premature infants, as it allows further fetal growth and development ex utero. Animal studies have been carried out which involved placing fetuses in a liquid-filled incubator, with oxygen supplied through an oxygenator connected to the umbilical vessels. Hence, by delaying lung exposure to air, further lung development and maturation can take place.

Acoustic lens improves superficial in-plane ultrasound-guided procedures - The significance of the beam width artefact.

Study Objective: The three-dimensional shape of the ultrasound beam produces a thicker scan plane than most users assume. Viewed longitudinally, a needle placed lateral to a vessel just outside the central scanning plane can be displayed incorrectly in the ultrasound image as if placed intravascularly. This phenomenon is called the beam width artefact, also known as the elevation or slice thickness artefact.