Efficacy and safety of active silicone oil removal through a 23-gauge transconjunctival cannula using an external vacuum pump

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of active removal of silicone oil with low and high viscosity through a 23-gauge transconjunctival cannula using an external vacuum pump.METHODS: This study was conducted as a prospective, interventional case series. A total of 22 eyes of 21 patients [1000 centistokes(c St): 17 eyes, 5700 c St:5 eyes] were included in this study. All patients underwent active silicone oil removal via the entire lumen of a 23-gauge microcannula with suction pressure of a650-700 mm Hg vacuum using an external vacuum pump. A tubing adaptor from the Total Plus Pak誖(Alcon,Fort Worth, USA) was used to join the microcannula and silicone vacuum tube connected to an external vacuum pump. Main outcome measures were mean removal time,changes of intraocular pressure(IOP) and visual acuity,and intraoperative and postoperative complications.RESULTS: Mean removal time(min) was 1.49±0.43 for1000 c St and 7. 12 ± 1. 27 for 5700 c St. The IOP was18.57±7.48 mm Hg at baseline, 11.68 ±4.55 mm Hg at day1 postoperatively(P <0.001), and 15.95±4.92, 16.82±3.81,17.41 ±3.50, and 17.09 ±3.01 mm Hg after one week, one month, three months, and six months, respectively. All patients showed improved or stabilized visual acuity.There was no occurrence of intraoperative or postoperative complications during the follow up period.CONCLUSION: This technique for active removal of silicone oil through a 23-gauge cannula using an external vacuum pump is fast, effective, and safe as well as economical for silicone oil with both low and high viscosity in all eyes with pseudophakia, aphakia, or phakia.

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE PRESSURE AND VACUUM CONTINUOUS CONTROL SYSTEM BASED ON HYBRID PUMP

A novel pressure and vacuum continuous control system, which adopts a hybrid pump as pressure and vacuum source, is presented. The mathematical model of the system is developed. The theoretical simulation and analysis on the system are implemented in order to study the relationships among the characteristics, parameters and working points of the system. The experimental investigations on the system characteristics are presented with the adoption ofa fuzzy-PID controller. The simulation and experimental results indicate that the pressure and vacuum continuous control system based on hybrid pump has good dynamic and static performance, strong robustness and satisfactory adaptability to various system parameters. According to the results, system can successfully gain high accuracy and fast response signal. Also, the mathematical model of system is also testified by the experimental results.

A Design of Remote-Controlled Chalkboard Eraser

Chalkboard erasers that are commonly used in many schools and education organizations have the poor ability in removing the dust off the chalkboard and collect them. The dust that is not collected will be taken into human bodies via inhalation, which will lead to respiratory diseases. Therefore, it is crucial to design a chalkboard eraser that can collect the dust effectively. If the eraser can be controlled both remotely and manually by people, it can further reduce the amount of dust taken in by human bodies. To achieve remote control, a micro-controller is needed to transfer the infrared radiation (IR) into signals that can control electric motors to move around on the chalkboard. Furthermore, the microfiber is also used as the cleaning material to improve the performance of dust cleaning and collecting. A vacuum pump is needed to create negative pressure between the eraser and the chalkboard so that the eraser can stick to it. The result shows a stronger ability in removing and collecting dust. With the help of the Arduino UNO board, the remote control is successfully achieved, and the eraser can move on the chalkboard freely according to the order.