Life Vest Research Articles

When the Cottonmouths Come to Feed

When the Cottonmouths Come to Feed Michelle Ross (bio) The morning a young man opened fire on students and faculty at the university my older daughter, Katya, attended, I watched two cottonmouths glide across the koi pond as gently as paper boats. The evening before I’d sat by the pond with my five-year-old daughter, Raya: no snakes. I’d gazed down at the pond from my bedroom window when I awoke: no snakes. That put their arrival at somewhere between approximately six and seven that morning. Katya was killed between 6:33 and 6:41. For eight minutes the man had fired his gun before police “took him out” as a radio reporter put it, as though talking about a sports match. Eight minutes is nothing if you are reading or decorating a cake, but if you’re killing people, eight minutes is a long time. That morning by the koi pond, I didn’t know yet about Katya. All I knew was that two cottonmouths were circling above the eleven koi—Petra’s koi. My wife had dug the pond herself, six years ago. Four was the number of years I’d been without her. The koi swam back and forth in figure eights as though the cottonmouths were mere sticks adrift above them. Or maybe they simply knew there was nowhere to escape to, nowhere to hide. In any case, their ease put me at ease. Or let’s just say I was at ease. I can’t really say why. Less than an hour after three bullets emptied Katya’s blood through her back and chest, the sun rose between the spread branches of the pecan tree at the far edge of my yard. The horsetail reeds rattled in the breeze. The black snakes cornered two koi against the shallowest bank of the pond and unhinged their jaws to expose their namesake white throats. They caught the koi by their heads. The fish wriggled like ballerinas on their toes. At nearly two feet long and twenty pounds apiece, the koi seemed too big for the cottonmouths to swallow. Yet when I returned after dropping Raya off at school and before I headed to the bakery, there were only nine koi in the pond. The cottonmouths had vanished. [End Page 65] It wasn’t until the fourth photograph that I saw Katya. I recognized the light blue dress and neon orange sneakers, the ugliest sneakers in the world, I’d once said to her. The color of a life vest, I thought, as if my brain was trying to plant jokes where jokes wouldn’t grow. Still, the sneakers’ garishness was lucky insofar as I identified Katya without having to endure a closer look. I’d bought that dress for her when she visited at Christmas. By bought I mean I gave my credit card information to an online retailer after Katya said it was what she wanted in lieu of the bicycle I’d gifted her. “I can’t very well haul a bicycle overseas.” As far as I knew, she hadn’t pinned down a particular destination but she was determined to go somewhere far away after graduation this spring. Now I had no reason to concern myself with such details. What I did have to concern myself with was the cat she’d left behind in the apartment she’d shared with two other girls. The father of one of the girls called to settle the matter of the cat, Prince Boo. “Katya never told me about a cat,” I said. We agreed that the girls wouldn’t be there when I picked up Katya’s belongings, that they’d leave the key under the mat. They couldn’t handle it, the father said. I laughed, then stopped. When I entered the apartment, I found six cardboard boxes stacked on the living room floor. One had a hole cut into the top, from which poked the head of a duck, carved from wood. The handle of an umbrella. Prince Boo sat on the windowsill. He turned toward me, then back to the window. I peeked into the bedrooms. The doors weren’t...

Age-Dependency of Cardiac and Neuromuscular Findings in Adults With Left Ventricular Hypertrabeculation/Noncompaction

Left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction (LVHT) is diagnosed in all ages and is frequently associated with neuromuscular disorders (NMDs). The aim of the study was to compare patients with LVHT depending on age at diagnosis. Included were 232 patients with LVHT (72 women, mean age 52±17 years) diagnosed from 1995 to 2014 at 1 echocardiographic laboratory. In 2014, their survival was assessed. Seventy-six percent of the patients were neurologically investigated, revealing specific NMDs in 18%, unspecific NMDs in 60%, and normal findings in 22%. Forty-five patients (19%) received electronic devices: implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in 26 patients, combined with cardiac resynchronization systems (n=14) or an antibradycardic pacemaker (n=1); antibradycardic pacemakers (n=8); cardiac resynchronization systems (n=4); implantable loop recorders (n=4); life vests (n=2); and a left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplantation (n=1). During 72-month follow-up, mortality was 4.9% per year. In younger age groups, more patients were referred for syncope or palpitations, whereas in older age groups, more patients were referred for heart failure. Classic cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes, as well as coronary artery stenosis, were rare in the young age groups but were more prevalent in older age groups. Differences between age groups were found regarding cardiac symptoms, NMDs, electrocardiographic findings, rate of device implantation, and mortality but not in location and extension of LVHT. None of the neurologically investigated patients≥70 years of age was neurologically normal. Prevalence of heart failure, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and mortality were highest in the oldest age group. In conclusion, LVHT must be considered as an echocardiographic diagnosis in all age groups. The morphologic pattern of LVHT is similar, whereas clinical manifestations and prognosis are variable among age groups.

Quinine Syncope Diagnosed by Life Vest

We present the case of a patient with ischemic cardiomyopathy using quinine as a remedy for leg cramps. A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) (LifeVest, Zoll Medical Corporation) recorded a sustained episode of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia resulting in syncope. Electrolyte concentrations were normal while QT interval was prolonged which improved after cessation of quinine and grapefruit juice.

Access, Affordability, Accountability 2013-2014 President-elect Address to the 2014 AACP House of Delegates

Access, Affordability, Accountability 2013-2014 President-elect Address to the 2014 AACP House of Delegates

탐색 및 구조 시스템용 구명조끼 내장형 안테나

선박이 운항 중 해난 사고가 발생하여 선원이나 승객이 물에 빠지는 경우 신속히 이들을 구조하는 것은 매우 중요한 일이다. 대부분의 해난 사고의 경우 물에 빠진 사람이 구명조끼를 입고 있으므로, 구명조끼에 GPS 및 Cospas-Sarsat 통신을 위한 모듈이 내장된다면 구조가 용이할 것이다. 본 논문에서는 구명조끼에 내장이 가능하며 GPS 및 Cospas-Sarsat 통신을 위한 이중대역 안테나를 개발하고자 한다. 안테나는 두께 0.2mm 인 FR4 기판을 사용하여 유연성을 확보하였고, 1.575 GHz와 406MHz에서 동작하며, 구명조끼의 어깨 부근에 장착이 될 수 있는 안테나를 설계하였다. GPS 통신용 안테나는 원형편파 특성을 갖는 링 슬롯 안테나로 구현하였고, 미앤드 형태의 선형 편파 안테나를 Cospas-Sarsat 통신용으로 사용하였다. 단일 마이크로스트립 선로를 통해 급전이 이루어지며, 두 공진 안테나간의 상호 간섭을 최소화하기 위해 개방형 스터브를 사용하였다. 제작한 안테나를 구명조끼에 장착하여 반사손실 측정을 통해 GPS 및 Cospas-Sarsat 주파수에서 안테나의 성능을 확인하였다. When the crew or passengers fall into the water due to marine accident of vessel, it is very important to rescue them quickly. In the case of marine accidents, most people in distress have been wearing a lifejacket, so if the GPS and Cospas-Sarsat communication module will be integrated within the lifejacket, it is easy to rescue them. In this paper, development of the dual band lifejacket-integrated antenna for GPS and Cospas-Sarsat communication is discussed. The antenna with the FR-4 substrate of 0.2mm thickness for flexibility was designed that it can be fitted close to the shoulder of the life jacket and operate at 1.575GHz and 406MHz. The GPS communication antenna was implemented with a ring-slot antenna having a circular polarized characteristic and a meander type linear polarized antenna is used as Cospas-Sarsat communication. The two antennas are fed by a single microstrip line and an open stub is used to minimize the mutual interference between the two antennas. The performance of the fabricated antenna attached to the life vest is confirmed by the measurement of the return loss at GPS and Cospas-Sarsat frequency bands.

Residual urinary output in high body mass index individuals on chronic hemodialysis: A disregarded life vest?

To assess residual diuresis and diverse variables according to body mass index (BMI). Cross-sectional study (n = 57), with 3 groups. Group A: BMI < 25, n = 22; Group B: BMI 25-30, n = 15; Group C: BMI > 30, n = 20. Diuresis, hematocrit, albumin, C-reactive protein, Malnutrition inflammatory score, Pro-BNP, Troponin T, leptin and insulin levels are expressed as median and ranges (r). Albumin (g/dL): GA vs GC, 3.70 (r2.20-4.90) vs 3.85 (r3.40-4.90), P = 0.02. Diuresis (mL/d): GA 690 (r0-1780); GB 660 (r60-1800); GC 840 (r40-2840). Diuresis GA vs GC, P = 0.01. Leptin (ng/mL): GA vs GC, 3.81 (r0.78-69.60) vs GC, 32.80 (r0.78-124.50), P < 0.001. Insulin (µU/mL): GA vs GB, 7 (r2-44) vs 11.50 (r4-38), P = 0.02; GA vs GC, 7 (r2-44) vs 19.5 (r5-155), P = 0.0001. Troponin T and Pro-BNP levels were not different. Significant correlations: GC, Insulin-UF: ρ = 0.53; P = 0.03; TroponinT-diuresis: ρ = -0.48, P < 0.05; Pro-BNP-diuresis: ρ = -0.39, P < 0.01; Troponin T-ProBNP: ρ = 0.77, P < 0.0001; albumin-Troponin T: ρ = -0.66, P < 0.0001; albumin-ProBNP: ρ = -0.44, P < 0.05. High BMI associated positively with higher diuresis and albuminemia, and negatively with TropT and Pro-BNP. High BMI-associated better survival may be explained by better urinary output, lowering cardiovascular stress.

Throwing Admiralty Jurisdiction a Life Vest: Preserving Jurisdiction for Maritime Torts that Do Not Involve Vessels

Admiralty jurisdiction was created to protect maritime commerce and other traditional maritime activities. To adequately protect maritime commerce and other traditional maritime activities, torts occurring on navigable waters that do not involve a vessel must be able to establish admiralty jurisdiction. The current test for admiralty jurisdiction, which is a two-part test that contains both a locality and a con-nection test, does not require a vessel to be involved. Despite the Supreme Court’s test, many lower courts have arbitrarily imposed a condition that the suit must involve a vessel to establish admiralty jurisdiction for in personam tort claims. This vessel-requirement creates a test for admiralty jurisdiction that inadequately protects maritime commerce because some forms of maritime commerce, such as professional SCUBA diving, do not involve vessels. Furthermore, this vessel requirement excludes many operations outside of maritime commerce, like U.S. Coast Guard rescues, which may disrupt maritime commerce. Thus, to adequately protect maritime commerce, Congress or the Supreme Court must act to stop lower courts from requiring that a tort involve a vessel to establish admiralty jurisdiction for in personam tort suits.

해상인명 구조통신을 위한 UHF ISM 대역 평판형 마이크로스트립 안테나 설계

본 논문에서는 해양인명구조 시스템에서 송신부인 구명조끼의 무선 송신기로부터 송신된 조난 신호를 효과적으로 수신하기위한 426MHz 대역 패널 형태의 평판형 마이크로스트립 안테나를 설계 및 제작하였다. 제작이 용이하고, 가벼우며, 적은 제작비용이 장점인 마이크로스트립(Microstrip) 안테나 구조를 이용하였으며, 협대역, 저이득, 큰 사이즈 특성을 극복하기 위하여 IDMA(Identical Dual Patch Microstrip Antenna with Air-Gap) 구조를 응용하여 설계하였다. 안테나는 유전율 4.3, 두께 1.6mm를 갖는 FR4를 사용하여 제작하였으며, 측정된 안테나의 대역폭은 <TEX>$S_{11}=-10dB$</TEX> 이하에서 28.7MHz(약 6.6%), 이득은 426MHz에서 3.04dBi로 우수한 특성을 얻었다. 또한, 상용 송수신모듈을 사용한 거리측정 실험을 통하여 5km 이상의 송수신거리의 안정적인 통신성능을 확인하였다. 본 논문에서 제안한 안테나는 향후 UHF 대역 통신시스템의 기지국분야에 다양하게 응용될 수 있을 것이다. The planar microstrip antenna for the safety communication of life at sea is designed and manufactured to effectively receive the emergency wireless signal from the transmitter on the life vest. The proposed microstrip antenna in this paper is easy to make, light weight and cheap compared to other antennas because of printed antenna fabrication. To overcome the narrow bandwidth, large size and low gain characteristics of microstrip antenna, we use the IDMA(Identical Dual Patch Microstrip Antenna with Air-Gap) structure. The proposed antenna was fabricated with the use of 1.6mm FR4 and measured with the 28.7MHz(6.6%) of bandwidth and 3.04dBi of gain at the frequency of 426MHz. To validate the proposed antenna, we experimented the possible distance range at sea using the commercial UHF transceiver module and obtained over 5km distance for stable communication. This antenna can be widely applied to application of the UHF wireless mobile communication.

Septic Pulmonary Embolism in a Patient with Defibrillator Lead Endocarditis

and a boil on his jaw. Computerized tomography (CT) scan of chest showed inflammatory changes along the pacemaker leads and thrombus in the left innominate and jugular veins (Figure 1a). Ultrasound of the left arm and neck veins showed venous thrombosis (Figure 1b). Transesophageal echocardiography showed a vegetation attached to the right atrial lead (Figure 1c). The ICD was explanted percutaneously. Four days later the patient developed fever with pleuritic chest pain. Follow-up CT angiography showed interval development of multiple pulmonary emboli (Figure 1d). The patient was treated with nafcillin, coumadin, and a life vest defibrillator until ICD re-implantation. The incidence of cardiac device endocarditis is 1–7% of those who receive a cardiac device, and 27% of cardiac device endocarditis is associated with septic pulmonary embolism. Both cardiac device endocarditis and septic pulmonary embolism have high morbidity and mortality (1). The risk factors for cardiac device endocarditis are recent device manipulation, diabetes mellitus, corticosteroid medication, anticoagulation, cancers, chronic renal failure, and bacteremia (2). Septic pulmonary embolism is a rare disorder associated with cardiac device implants, intravascular catheters, intravenous drug use, suppurative process in head and neck, thrombophlebitis, and immunocompromised state (3).

Automatic External Defibrillator, Life Vest Defibrillator, or Both?

The standard of practice for out-of-hospital defibrillation is the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. However, much has been written and discussed about the use of automated external defibrillators. Not as much has been written about life vest wearable defibrillators.

Evacuation in practice — Observations from five full scale exercises

Evacuating a ship is a difficult task which normally is performed under severe and demanding conditions, exposing both crew members and passengers on board to an extreme and demanding situation. To be prepared for an incident happening on board and shouldering this responsibility is part of the everyday reality of the crew members’ work situation. This study reports the results from observations made on board five passenger ships performing full scale exercises with participants acting as passengers. The results pointed out four problem areas; the safety organization, the ability to perform tasks, the handling of life vests and communication. These areas represented an uncertainty in the requirements associated with the crew members’ role in the safety organization implied. There was also evidence of difficulties in the crews’ performing of different tasks, problems with donning life vests and insufficient communication. The crew member groups on board differ in their skills and knowledge to handle an evacuation situation. These groups need to be studied separately and systematically in order to determine how they comprehend their work situation and what their needs of preparation and training are in order to feel content with meeting the demands of their role in the safety organization.

Separate Rooms: Luis García Montero and the Reading of Experience

The strain of contemporary Spanish poetry known as the “poetry of experience” has often been characterized as a more engaging form of lyric, one that comes closer to its reader. This article seeks to challenge this view through close readings of two poems by the leading figure of the movement, Luis García Montero: “Life Vest under Your Seat” and “Garcilaso 1991” (Habitaciones separadas, 1994). Although these poems draw the reader in and encourage him or her to identify emotionally, they ultimately put this sentimental engagement into question, revealing its superficiality and its tendency to falsify and gloss over the subtleties of the poetic vision.

A Life Vest for Hudson Bay's Drifting Stewardship

Hudson Bay, as the world’s second-largest inland sea, is far from insignificant. Yet, the Hudson Bay bioregion barely registers on the radar of Canadian ocean management. When it does, it almost invariably appears under a project-specific approach or within the strict parameters of jurisdictional responsibilities. However, Inuit in Sanikiluaq, from their standpoint on the Belcher Islands, see the surrounding marine environment as being largely unrelated to political boundaries and jurisdictions. From their perspective, stewardship means ensuring the sustained health of Hudson Bay and its marine life. We advocate concrete steps to bring compartmentalized governmental processes in line with this more comprehensive definition of marine environmental stewardship. A twofold course of action is needed. The first step is to make joint, complementary use of scientific and Inuit knowledge to understand the cumulative, transboundary effects on this Arctic marine ecosystem of natural and human-induced changes. Second, collaboration is greatly needed to unify the present fragmented coastal and marine governance in the eastern Canadian Arctic. We therefore propose establishing a community-based monitoring and assessment network and a cooperative, inter-jurisdictional stewardship body. Such a collaborative effort could make tangible progress toward sound, ecosystem-based, integrated management of the Hudson Bay bioregion.

Happy New Year 2005

Happy New Year 2005

Portier, Richet, and the discovery of anaphylaxis: A centennial

Portier, Richet, and the discovery of anaphylaxis: A centennial

Use of Washington State newspapers for submersion injury surveillance

Objectives—To evaluate the usefulness of newspapers as a surveillance tool for submersion injury, the proportion of submersion events and important details reported in Washington State newspapers was determined. It was...

Do parents value drowning prevention information at discharge from the emergency department?

Study Objective: We determined parent recall and perceived usefulness of drowning prevention messages included in routine computer-generated discharge instructions. Methods: All pediatric emergency department patients’ computerized discharge instructions included 3 prevention messages: wear a life vest, swim in safe areas, and do not drink alcohol while swimming or boating. Parents were telephoned 1 to 2 weeks after the visit and asked to recall the prevention messages and rate the usefulness of the instructions. Responses were linked with patient characteristics and ED visit variables (day and time of visit, duration of ED visit, severity of condition, diagnostic category, number of tests, and treatments). Results: Of 914 parents who were contacted, 795 were eligible. Of those, 619 (78%) completed the interview. Fifty percent of parents recalled receiving drowning prevention information; of these, 41% recalled unaided the life vest messages and 35% of 155 parents who did not own a life vest stated they would subsequently consider buying their child a life vest. Most (88%) rated the prevention information useful or very useful. No patient or visit variables were associated with usefulness ratings. Conclusion: Written injury prevention messages with discharge instructions were well received by parents of children in a pediatric ED. The ED may be a setting where families could receive injury prevention education.[Quan L, Bennett E, Cummings P, Henderson P, Del Beccaro MA. Do parents value drowning prevention information at discharge from the emergency department? Ann Emerg Med. April 2001;37:382-385.]

Forgive us our translations:crossing intercontinental cultural and religious boundaries

This article examines two of the newer translations of the Bible into Russian,namely the Word of Life (Slovo Zhizni) and Blagaya Vest' translations, with respect to the official Russian Bible, the so-called Synodal Bible. Firstly,divergences between the Greek source texts are analysed in order to determine whether they contribute towards differences in the Russian translations. Secondly,all three translations are analysed according to their conformity with present standard literary Russian. Thirdly, the possibility of the incorporation of ideological or theological dogma into the newer translations is investigated. The study reveals that although the source texts do show differences, this is often reduced by translation and only where there are marked semantic deviations between the source texts is this transmitted to the translations. All texts show some deviation from standard literary Russian, the Synodal version primarily because of its age, whereas the other two probably due to the interference of an English intermediate. Finally, both newer texts do incorporate specifically Protestant ideologies.

Near-drowning.

Near-drowning.

Evaluation of a drowning prevention campaign in King County, Washington

Objectives—A three year drowning prevention campaign focused on increasing the use of life vests among children 1–14 years old. An evaluation was conducted to determine campaign awareness, change in ownership...