IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering
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IEEE Trans Biomed Eng · Apr 2008
Numerical design of experiment for sensitivity analysis--application to skin burn injury prediction.
Temperature evolution and skin burn process resulting from a laser radiation exposure are investigated in this paper. Transient temperature in skin is numerically estimated using a 1-D multilayered model based on Penne's equation. The degree of burn injury is numerically evaluated by using an Arrhenius-type function. ⋯ Thus, a sensitivity analysis has been performed in order to evaluate the effect of each parameters inaccuracy on temperature estimation and on burn injuries prediction (according to several authors' characterization). Investigated parameters uncertainties that crucially invalidate the thermal model are as follows: epidermis and dermis volumetric heat, extinction coefficient, and skin thickness of the affected area. Considering the damage prediction, the activation energy is a key parameter for the validation of an efficient predictive tool.
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A new implantable pressure sensor for long-term monitoring of intracranial pressure is presented. The sensor is powered by telemetry and can be interrogated wirelessly. A capacitive pressure transducer, whose capacitance is converted to a frequency-encoded signal by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), senses the absolute pressure. ⋯ The proposed novel packaging solution is designed for long-term stability and reliability of the sensor. The accuracy of sensor at body temperature is better than 2 mbar across a pressure range of 600-1200 mbar. The sensor is 13 mm in diameter and 4.5 mm in height.
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IEEE Trans Biomed Eng · Apr 2008
A mathematical model of respiratory and biothermal dynamics in brain hypothermia treatment.
Brain hypothermia treatment (BHT) requires proper mechanical ventilation and therapeutic cooling. The cooling strategy for BHT has been mainly discussed in the literature while little information is available on the respiratory management. We first developed a mathematical model that integrates the respiratory and biothermal dynamics to discuss the simultaneous managements of mechanical ventilation and therapeutic cooling. ⋯ Second, model-based simulation of the current respiratory management in BHT suggests reduction of minute ventilation in reference to cooled brain temperature to stabilize the states of blood and brain oxygenation. Lastly, the relationship between cooling temperature and minute ventilation is approximated by a linear first-order transfer function of static gain 0.61min(-1) degrees C(-1) and time constant 8.9 h, which is used to develop a feedforward control to tune the mechanical ventilator in concert with temperature regulation of the cooling blanket. Discussion of the model encourages further studies that provide direct evidence from clinical experiments.
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IEEE Trans Biomed Eng · Apr 2008
Analysis of cultured neuronal networks using intraburst firing characteristics.
It is an open question whether neuronal networks, cultured on multielectrode arrays, retain any capability to usefully process information (learning and memory). A necessary prerequisite for learning is that stimulation can induce lasting changes in the network. To observe these changes, one needs a method to describe the network in sufficient detail, while stable in normal circumstances. ⋯ The PPs reveal a stable spatiotemporal pattern of activity during bursts over a period of several hours, making them useful for plasticity and learning studies. We also show that PPs can be used to estimate conditional firing probabilities. Doing so, yields an approach in which network bursting behavior and functional connectivity can be studied.
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IEEE Trans Biomed Eng · Mar 2008
Clinical TrialA model-predictive hypnosis control system under total intravenous anesthesia.
In ambulatory surgery, anesthetic drugs must be administered at a suitable rate to prevent adverse reactions after discharge from the hospital. To realize more appropriate anesthesia, we have developed a hypnosis control system, which administers propofol as an anesthetic drug to regulate the bispectral index (BIS), an electroencephalography (EEG)-derived index reflecting the hypnosis of a patient. ⋯ With the approval of the ethics committee of our institute, 79 clinical trials took place since July 2002. The results show that our system can reduce the total amount of propofol infusion and maintain the BIS more accurately than anesthesiologist's manual adjustment.