Electrophoretic Deposition of Chitosan Coatings on the Porous Titanium Substrate.

Medicine is looking for solutions to help implant patients recover more smoothly. The porous implants promote osteointegration, thereby providing better stabilization. Introducing porosity into metallic implants enhances their biocompatibility and facilitates osteointegration.

Evaluation of In Vivo Biocompatibility in Preclinical Studies of a Finger Implant Medical Device Correlated with Mechanical Properties and Microstructure.

The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the biocompatibility of four 3D-printed biomaterials planned for use in the surgical treatment of finger amputees: Ti-6Al-4 V (Ti64), ZrO-AlO ceramic material (ATZ20), and osteoconductive (anodized Ti64) and antibacterial (Hydroxyapatite, HAp) coatings that adhere well to materials dedicated to finger bone implants. The work concerns the correlation of mechanical, microstructural, and biological properties of dedicated materials. Biological tests consisted of determining the overall cytotoxicity of the organism on the basis of in vivo tests carried out in accordance with the ISO 10993-6 and ISO 10993-11 standards.

Biological Activity and Thrombogenic Properties of Oxide Nanotubes on the Ti-13Nb-13Zr Biomedical Alloy.

The success of implant treatment is dependent on the osseointegration of the implant. The main goal of this work was to improve the biofunctionality of the Ti-13Nb-13Zr implant alloy by the production of oxide nanotubes (ONTs) layers for better anchoring in the bone and use as an intelligent carrier in drug delivery systems. Anodization of the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy was carried out in 0.

Increased Plasma Concentrations of Extracellular Vesicles Are Associated with Pro-Inflammatory and Pro-Thrombotic Characteristics of Left and Right Ventricle Mechanical Support Devices.

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) allows for functional left and right heart ventricle replacement. MCS induces a systemic inflammatory reaction and prothrombotic state leading to an increased risk of thrombus formation. The extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoparticles released from active/injured cells characterized by prothrombotic properties.

Semi-Quantitative Method of Assessing the Thrombogenicity of Biomaterials Intended for Long-Term Blood Contact.

Biomaterials used in cardiosurgical implants and artificial valves that have long-term contact with blood pose a great challenge for researchers due to the induction of thrombogenicity. So far, the assessment of the thrombogenicity of biomaterials has been performed with the use of highly subjective descriptive methods, which has made it impossible to compare the results of various experiments. The aim of this paper was to present a new semi-quantitative method of thrombogenicity assessment based on scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of an adhered biological material deposited on the surfaces of prepared samples.

Hemocompatibile Thin Films Assessed under Blood Flow Shear Forces.

The aim of this study was to minimize the risk of life-threatening thromboembolism in the ventricle through the use of a new biomimetic heart valve based on metal-polymer composites. Finite volume element simulations of blood adhesion to the material were carried out, encompassing radial flow and the cone and plane test together with determination of the effect of boundary conditions. Both tilt-disc and bicuspid valves do not have optimized blood flow due to their design based on rigid valve materials (leaflet made of pyrolytic carbon).

Interdisciplinary Methods for Zoonotic Tissue Acellularization for Natural Heart Valve Substitute of Biomimetic Materials.

The goal of this work was to create a bioactive tissue-based scaffold using multi-disciplinary engineering materials and tissue engineering techniques. Materials & methods: Physical techniques such as direct laser interference lithography and proton radiation were selected as alternative methods of enzymatic and chemical decellularization to remove cells from a tissue without degradation of the extracellular matrix nor its protein structure. This study was an attempt to prepare a functional scaffold for cell culture from tissue of animal origin using new physical methods that have not been considered before.

Early detection of HVAD pump thrombosis based on technical analysis and power consumption measurements.

Background: Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been extensively used in a strategy of bridge to orthotopic heart transplant and destination therapy. The usage of LVAD, however, is not free from limitations such as device-related adverse events, including pump thrombosis (PT). We aimed to develop an algorithm of early PT detection based on the maintenance parameters monitored by the implanted device.

Production, Characterization and Application of Oxide Nanotubes on Ti-6Al-7Nb Alloy as a Potential Drug Carrier.

This work concerns the development of a method of functionalization of the surface of the biomedical Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy by producing oxide nanotubes (ONTs) with drug-eluting properties. Shaping of the morphology, microstructure, and thickness of the oxide layer was carried out by anodization in an aqueous solution of 1 M ethylene glycol with the addition of 0.2 M NHF in the voltage range 5-100 V for 15-60 min at room temperature.

Biocompatibility testing of composite biomaterial designed for a new petal valve construction for pulsatile ventricular assist device.

This paper presents the results of biocompatibility testing performed on several biomaterial variants for manufacturing a newly designed petal valve intended for use in a pulsatile ventricular assist device or blood pump. Both physical vapor deposition (PVD) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) were used to coat titanium-based substrates with hydrogenated tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C:H) or amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H and a-C:H, N). Experiments were carried out using whole human blood under arterial shear stress conditions in a cone-plate analyzer (ap.

Design, Manufacturing Technology and In-Vitro Evaluation of Original, Polyurethane, Petal Valves for Application in Pulsating Ventricular Assist Devices.

Minimizing of the life-threatening thrombo-emboli formation in pulsatile heart assist devices by a new biomimetic heart valve design is presently one of the most important problems in medicine. As part of this work, an original valve structure was proposed intended for pneumatic, extracorporeal ventricular assist devices. The valve design allows for direct integration with other parts of the pulsating blood pump.

In-Vitro Biocompatibility and Hemocompatibility Study of New PET Copolyesters Intended for Heart Assist Devices.

(1) Background: The evaluation of ventricular assist devices requires the usage of biocompatible and chemically stable materials. The commonly used polyurethanes are characterized by versatile properties making them well suited for heart prostheses applications, but simultaneously they show low stability in biological environments. (2) Methods: An innovative material-copolymer of poly(ethylene-terephthalate) and dimer linoleic acid-with controlled and reproducible physico-mechanical and biological properties was developed for medical applications.

Emergency HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) exchange due to pump thrombosis using minimally invasive technique.

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) thrombosis remains a dreadful complication of mechanical circulatory support, with an incidence of 8-12% depending on the pump type and patient's comorbidities. Fibrinolysis may be considered early in pump thrombosis, but when contraindicated a pump exchange remains the only alternative. This short report documents an emergency LVAD exchange in a 55-year-old man who underwent LVAD (HeartWare Inc) implantation in 2013 as a bridge to transplantation.

Left atrial myxoma in a patient with a biventricular pacemaker.

Myxomas make up about 50% of benign cardiac neoplasms. The most common location is within the left atrium. At the initial stage they do not exhibit any specific clinical symptoms, so they are often diagnosed by accident or during examinations recommended for other reasons.

Digital image correlation of coated and uncoated Religa Heart_Ext ventricular assist device.

The digital image correlation is used to estimate influence of deposited heamocompatible coatings (gold and titanium nitride) on mechanical response of ventricular assist device Religa Heart_Ext made of Bionate II (thermoplastic polycarbonate urethane) under working conditions by comparison of the coated Religa Heart_Ext with uncoated Religa Heart_Ext. The DIC is applied for experimental investigation of the strains and displacements distribution on external surface of the blood chamber of ventricular assist device during loading. The experiment was conducted in a hydraulic system with water at operating temperatures of 25 and 37 °C, as well as under static pressures: 80, 120, 180, 220 and 280 mmHg, and static underpressures: -25, -45, -75 mmHg.

Optoelectronic system for the determination of blood volume in pneumatic heart assist devices.

Background: The following article describes the concept of optical measurement of blood volume in ventricular assist devices (VAD's) of the pulsatile type. The paper presents the current state of art in blood volume measurements of such devices and introduces a newly developed solution in the optic domain. The objective of the research is to overcome the disadvantages of the previously developed acoustic method-the requirement of additional sensor chamber.

Evaluation of the intima-media complex in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The Aim Of The Study: The aim of the study was to determine whether there are any differences in the intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries between the group of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the control group, and whether these differences are a consequence of SLE or independent factors of atherosclerosis development.

Material And Methods: The patients were divided into three groups: the study group (n = 25, mean age: 39.8 years) consisting of patients suffering from SLE; the subgroup (n = 13, mean age: 39.

Numerical modelling and verification of Polish ventricular assist device.

The developed multiscale model of blood chamber of POLVAD (Polish ventricular assist device) was introduced. The tension test for polymer and digital image correlation (DIC) were performed for verification of the strains and displacements obtained in the numerical model of POLVAD_EXT. The numerical simulations were carried out in conditions given in the experiment to compare the results obtained on external surfaces of blood chamber of the POLVAD_EXT.

Acoustic system for the estimation of the temporary blood chamber volume of the POLVAD heart supporting prosthesis.

Background: The paper presents a newly researched acoustic system for blood volume measurements for the developed family of Polish ventricular assist devices. The pneumatic heart-supporting devices are still the preferred solution in some cases, and monitoring of their operation, especially the temporary blood volume, is yet to be solved.

Methods: The prototype of the POLVAD-EXT prosthesis developed by the Foundation of Cardiac Surgery Development, Zabrze, Poland, is equipped with the newly researched acoustic blood volume measurement system based on the principle of Helmholtz's acoustic resonance.

Investigations concerning the application of the cross-correlation method in cardiac output measurements.

Background: In spite of numerous non-invasive examinations the "gold clinical standard" of cardiac output measurements is the invasive pulmonary artery catheterization by means of the Swan-Ganz catheter and the application of the thermodilution method to estimate the blood flow. The results obtained by means of thermodilution are sensitive to many physical and biological disturbances. The unreliability of this method amounts to 20-45% and depends on the given variant of the method.