Background—In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) sympathetic adrenergic activity is highly elevated. Sympathetic over-activity is a compensatory mechanism at first, but might be detrimental for cardiac function at the long run. We therefore investigated whether chronic low-dose treatment with bisoprolol (a cardioselective -blocker) has beneficial effects on cardiac function in experimental PH...

This document provides guidelines for the terminology, methodology, and for the interpretation of data obtained from the use of skin (transcutaneous) po(2) and pco(2) electrodes. The transcutaneous technique has found special application in newborn infants. The causes of analytical bias with respect to arterial blood gas values, and imprecision obtained with transcutaneous pco(2) electrodes, ar...

Arterial blood gases (ABG) are obtained commonly in dyspneic persons presenting to emergency departments. The study by Burri and colleagues found that the information contained in ABG fails to distinguish between pulmonary and other causes of dyspnea. On the other hand, arterial pH was highly predictive of ICU admission and outcome. Until large clinical studies show equivalence between peripher...

1 Biodiversity Research Group, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University Centre for the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK 2 Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (Ce3C)/Azorean Biodiversity Group (ABG, CITA-A) and Portuguese Platform for Enhancing Ecological Research and Sustainability (PEERS), Depto de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade dos Açores, A...

BACKGROUND The utility of routinely obtaining arterial blood gas analyses (ABGs) prior to extubation in patients who have successfully completed a spontaneous breathing trial is not known. OBJECTIVE Review our practices and determine our extubation success rate with a policy of selective ABG utilization. METHODS Retrospective chart review. RESULTS We reviewed 54 extubations of 52 patients...

The objectives in this thesis are to present a model of a variable venturi in an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system located in a heavy duty diesel engine. A new legislation called EURO 4 will come into force in 2005 which affects truck development and it will require an On-Board Diagnostic system in the truck. If model based diagnostic systems are to be used, one of the advantages is that t...

The arterial blood gases is one of the most important investigation for assessment of clinical oxygenation and acid-base status in critically ill patients. It provides us with information about ventilation, oxygenation and acid-base status, the three closely interrelated physiology parameters, which maintain the pH homeostasis. Its correct interpretation and application necessitates the knowled...

AIM To examine the delivered volume during "high volume strategy" high frequency oscillation, used as rescue treatment in preterm infants; and to identify factors, other than frequency and oscillatory amplitude, influencing the magnitude of volume delivery. METHOD Twenty infants (median gestational age 29 weeks) were studied on 45 occasions. Two oscillator types were used (SensorMedics and SL...

INTRODUCTION The objective of the study is to determine the level of agreement between measured total carbon dioxide (TCO2) and calculated bicarbonate (HCO3-) in our laboratory. MATERIALS AND METHODS TCO2 and HCO3- values of 1820 samples drawn at the same time from the patient were compared. TCO2 from venous samples was measured on Dimension RxL while HCO3- was obtained from arterial blood ga...

Electrodermal activity (EDA) is considered a measure of autonomous nervous system activity. This study performed an exploratory analysis of the EDA changes during blood pooling for arterial blood gas analysis in sedated adult critical care patients and correlated the variations to other monitored parameters. EDA, along with other parameters, were monitored during 4 h routine daytime intensive c...