Scientific Principles and the Decontamination - Essay Example

"Scientific Principles and the Decontamination" is a great example of a paper on the respiratory system.
Laryngeal mask airway is a special tube that is normally inserted into the larynx to serve the purpose of preventing solid foods or liquid from entering into the windpipe. It has a cuff that is normally inflated so that it can block the opening joining the esophagus and the windpipe. There are two forms of laryngeal mask airways; reusable and non-reusable mask. The outer section of the reusable laryngeal tube must be decontaminated to avoid contamination that occurs as a result of prions attached to the cuff. Contamination can result in diseases called Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease (Zumdahl, 1998, p. 27).  

The tube is normally decontaminated by combining the use of high temperatures and pressure. The volume of the cuff remains unaltered during the process. Using a combined gas law, it is possible to determine the pressure inside the cuff following decontamination. The case that is given states that the initial temperature of the laryngeal flask is 200c, which is equivalent to 20+273.15= 293.15 K. The initial pressure is 101 kPa. The final temperature following decontamination is 1380c, which is equivalent to 531.15 K. the combined gas laws enable us to get the unknown variables by comparing the two sets of conditions (Guch, 2003 p.49). The formula of the combined gas law is written as 

 P1V1 / T1 = P2V2 / T2 

Where P1 is the initial pressure=101 kPa 

V1 is the initial volume= 18ml 

T1 is the initial temperature=293.15 K. 

P2 is the final pressure =? 

V2 is the final volume=18ml 

T2 is the final temperature=531.15 K 

By substituting, we get 

101/293.15=x/531.15 

X= (531.15*101)/293.15 

X= 53646.15/293.15 

X=182.99 kPa 

The processing of the laryngeal flask is normally done based on some physical principles. The functional part of the flask is the cuff. The flask is inserted into the respiratory tract, and the cuff is meant to block the larynx. The flask is inserted when it is deflated. Then following insertion, the flask is inflated so that it can fit into the opening, joining the respiratory track with the digestive tract. During decontamination, the high temperature and pressure can inflate the cuff making it difficult to insert. However, this cannot happen because the cuff is prepared using the silicone rubber, which is a poor conductor of heat (Greenwood & Earnshaw, 1997 p.73).  

This property would enable the doctor or health specialist to decontaminate the flask under high temperature and pressure without necessarily affecting the volume. This is because the silicone rubber is a poor conductor of heat, and hence the volume cannot be altered as a result of the application of a lot of heat (Castka et al. 2002 p.53).