A MECHATRONIC SIMULATOR OF AN AIRCRAFT COCKPIT TO STUDY, BY A VIRTUAL FLIGHT TEST, CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS IN AIRLINE PILOTS BANNED TO FLY SINCE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

During flying airline pilots cardio-vascular adaptations occur producing a steady condition of bradycardia and low values in arterial blood pressure. The ability to maintain this optimal level of cardiovascular fitness in aircraft pilots during a prolonged non-driving period is reduced proportionally to this interval. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced pilots to inactivity due to the interruption of many flights at the start of the pandemic. We tested the cardiovascular profile in seven skilled pilots, after 26 weeks of banned to flying for the pandemic lockdown, while they virtually drove an entirely self-built aircraft Airbus A320 simulator. The aim was to investigate on their possible circulatory impairments. Beat-to-beat cardiodynamic profile was non invasively and remotely assessed by a homemade impedance cardiography ICT platform, i.e. the e-Physio tool. Results showed an en route high mean arterial blood pressure (almost 104 Torr) mainly sustained by excessively high values of peripheral vascular resistance (more than 24 Torr per dm3 per minute). Properly central-cardiac hemodynamic and chronotropic modulators of the stroke volume (ventricle end diastolic volume and contractility, heart rate) did not change significantly. Since this hemodynamic picture resembles that of heart failure, it was concluded that (due to the covid-19 dependent long period of inactivity) pilots may go towards a condition of detraining that involved the loss of specific cardiovascular adaptations capable of buffering risks of arterial hypertension. © 2022, Levrotto and Bella. All rights reserved.

Innovative Smart Face Mask to Protect Workers from COVID-19 Infection

The most frequent prodromes of COVID-19 infection are fever and signs/symptoms of incipient respiratory diseases such as cough and shortness of breath or tachypnea. However, it is not infrequent that in patients infected with COVID-19, in addition to respiratory manifestations, cardiac rhythm alterations are also present which can be an early sign of an acute cardiovascular syndrome. It is therefore of utmost importance, especially for health care and civil protection workers who are most exposed to the infection, to detect the prodromal symptoms of this infection in order to be able to make a diagnosis of possible positivity to COVID-19 infection as quickly as possible and therefore to provide their immediate insertion in the isolation/therapy protocols. Here a prototype of a smart face mask is presented: the AG47-SmartMask. In addition to having the function of both an active and passive anti COVID-19 filter, the latter by an electro-heated filter brought to a minimum temperature of 38 degrees C, the AG47-SmartMask also allows the continuous monitoring of numerous cardio-pulmonary variables. Several specific sensors are incorporated into the mask in an original way that assess the inside mask temperature, relative humidity and air pressure together with the auricular assessment of body temperature, heart rate and percentage of oxygen saturation of haemoglobin. Sensors work in synergy with an advanced telemedicine platform. To validate the device, twenty workers engaged in a vegetable packaging chain tested the tool simulating, while working, both tachypnea and cough, and the AG47-SmartMask faithfully quantified the simulated dyspnoic events.

Mechatronic face mask anti covid-19 to remotely record cardiorespiratory variables in farm’s workers engaged in jobs at high risk of infection

The most frequent prodromes of COVID-19 infection are fever, signs of respiratory diseases, cough and shortness of breath. Nevertheless, it is not infrequent that patients with COVID-19 also show cardiac symptoms. So, it is of importance to detect the prodromal symptoms of the COVID-19 infection in order to be able to make a diagnosis as quickly as possible to provide the immediate insertion of the infected people in isolation/therapy protocols. Here is presented a prototype of a smart face mask, named AG47-SmartMask that, in addition to the function of both an active and passive anti COVID-19 filter by an electro-heated filter brought to a minimum temperature of 38°C, it also allows the continuous monitoring of numerous cardio-pulmonary variables. Several specific sensors are incorporated into the mask to assess the inside mask temperature from which synchronous waving with the breathing was acquired the breath frequency, relative humidity, air pressure together and end tidal carbon dioxide percentage, and an auricular assessment of the body temperature, the heart rate and the percentage of oxygen saturation of haemoglobin. Sensors are embedded within an advanced ICT platform. To validate the AG47-SmartMask tool, were engaged twenty seven Farm’s workers of a vegetable packaging chain and they dressed the face mask device to simulate, while working, both tachypnea and cough, and the AG47-SmartMask faithfully quantified the simulated dyspnoic events. © 2021, Levrotto and Bella. All rights reserved.