'connEcted caesarean section': creating a virtual link between MOthers and their infanTs to ImprOve maternal childbirth experieNce - study protocol for a PILOT trial (e-motion-pilot)

INTRODUCTION

One-third of mothers rate their childbirth as traumatic. The prevalence of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD) is 4.7%. Skin-to-skin contact is a protective factor against CB-PTSD. However, during a caesarean section (CS), skin-to-skin contact is not always feasible and mothers and infants are often separated. In those cases, there is no validated and available solution to substitute this unique protective factor. Based on the results of studies using virtual reality and head-mounted displays (HMDs) and studies on childbirth experience, we hypothesise that enabling the mother to have a visual and auditory contact with her baby could improve her childbirth experience while she and her baby are separated. To facilitate this connection, we will use a two-dimensional 360° camera filming the baby linked securely to an HMD that the mother can wear during the end of the surgery.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This study protocol describes a monocentric open-label controlled pilot trial with minimal risk testing the effects of a visual and auditory contact via an HMD worn by the mother airing a live video of her newborn compared with treatment-as-usual in 70 women after CS. The first 35 consecutive participants will be the control group and will receive the standard care. The next 35 consecutive participants will have the intervention. The primary outcome will be differences in maternal childbirth experience (Childbirth Experience Questionnaire 2) at 1-week postpartum between the intervention and control groups. Secondary outcomes will be CB-PTSD symptoms, birth satisfaction, mother-infant bonding, perceived pain and stress during childbirth, maternal anxiety and depression symptoms, anaesthesiological data and acceptability of the procedure.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval was granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Canton de Vaud (study number 2022-00215). Dissemination of results will occur via national and international conferences, peer-reviewed journals, public conferences and social media.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT05319665.

The Thermosiphon Cooling System of the ATLAS Experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

The silicon tracker of the ATLAS experiment at CERN Large Hadron Collider will operate around –15°C to minimize the effects of radiation damage. The present cooling system is based on a conventional evaporative circuit, removing around 60 kW of heat dissipated by the silicon sensors and their local electronics. The compressors in the present circuit have proved less reliable than originally hoped, and will be replaced with a thermosiphon. The working principle of the thermosiphon uses gravity to circulate the coolant without any mechanical components (compressors or pumps) in the primary coolant circuit. The fluorocarbon coolant will be condensed at a temperature and pressure lower than those in the on-detector evaporators, but at a higher altitude, taking advantage of the 92 m height difference between the underground experiment and the services located on the surface. An extensive campaign of tests, detailed in this paper, was performed using two small-scale thermosiphon systems. These tests confirmed the design specifications of the full-scale plant and demonstrated operation over the temperature range required for ATLAS. During the testing phase the system has demonstrated unattended long-term stable running over a period of several weeks. The commissioning of the full scale thermosiphon is ongoing, with full operation planned for late 2015.