Can heat therapy help patients with heart failure?

To review and analyze the clinical outcomes of thermal therapy (≤1.4°C increase in core body temperature) in patients with heart failure (HF). A systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the effects of thermal therapy on HF was done by searching PubMed, Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, Scopus, and internal databases up to date (2019).

In Vitro Assessment of Electric Currents Increasing the Effectiveness of Vancomycin Against Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms.

Biofilms are communities of bacteria that can cause infections which are resistant to the immune system and antimicrobial treatments, posing a significant threat for patients with implantable and indwelling medical devices. The purpose of our research was to determine if utilizing specific parameters for electric currents in conjunction with antibiotics could effectively treat a highly resistant biofilm. Our study evaluated the impact of 16 μg/mL of vancomycin with or without 22 or 333 μA of direct electric current (DC) generated by stainless steel electrodes against 24-, 48-, and 72-h-old Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms formed on titanium coupons.

Medical device market in China.

With China's growing old-age population and economic presence on the international stage, it has become important to evaluate its domestic and foreign market contribution to medical devices. Medical devices are instruments or apparatuses used in the prevention, rehabilitation, treatment, or knowledge generation with respect to disease or other abnormal conditions. This article provides information drawn from recent publications to describe the current state of the Chinese domestic market for medical devices and to define opportunities for foreign investment potential therein.

Investigation of low-voltage pulse parameters on electroporation and electrical lysis using a microfluidic device with interdigitated electrodes.

Electroporation (EP) of biological cells leads to the exchange of materials through the permeabilized cell membrane, while electrical lysis (EL) irreversibly disrupts the cell membrane. We report a microfluidic device to study these two phenomena with low-voltage excitation for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications. For systematic study of EP, we have employed a quantification metric: flow Index (FI) of EP.

Electrical lysis: dynamics revisited and advances in On-chip operation.

Electrical lysis (EL) is the process of breaking the cell membrane to expose the internal contents under an applied high electric field. Lysis is an important phenomenon for cellular analysis, medical treatment, and biofouling control. This paper aims to review, summarize, and analyze recent advancements on EL.

Failed attempts and improvement strategies in peripheral intravenous catheterization.

Background: Access to peripheral veins is necessary for sample collection, transfusion and infusion of fluids or medications. The peripheral intravenous catheterization (PIVC) procedure is the introduction of a short catheter into a peripheral vein and can be problematic, leading to multiple failed attempts.

Purpose: To analyze scientific literature regarding difficulties in establishing peripheral intravenous access and improvement strategies.

Outline of the International Organization for Standardization Standard for Circulatory Support Devices (ISO 14708-5).

The rapid progress of artificial heart and circulatory support devices enables us to apply them to severe heart failure patients. Many types of circulatory support devices have been developed in the United States, Europe, and Japan. This situation urged the establishment of an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standard for the circulatory support devices.

Effects of n-acetylcysteine on ischemic preconditioning: study in isolated rat hearts.

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess if N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) changes the Ischemic Preconditioning (IP) in isolated rat hearts using only one cycle of IP.

Methods: Heart Rate (HR), Coronary Flow (CF) and Myocardial Contractility (dP/dt) were registered in 30 Wistar rat's hearts. After anesthesia the hearts were removed and perfused with Krebes-Hensleit equilibrated solution with 95% of O2 and 5% of CO2 according Langendorff's method.

Thermal therapy: a viable adjunct in the treatment of heart failure?

The aim of this work was to review and provide a summary of published literature on the clinical impact of thermal therapy (ie, warm water immersion, traditional sauna bathing, and dry infrared sauna) in patients with heart failure. Medline and Embase database literature searches were conducted, and studies that included measurement of heart failure-related clinical parameters were reviewed. Thermal therapy was found to have a positive impact on key heart failure-related parameters across multiple studies.

Development of a mathematical model of the human circulatory system.

A mathematical lumped parameter model of the human circulatory system (HCS) has been developed to complement in vitro testing of ventricular assist devices. Components included in this model represent the major parts of the systemic HCS loop, with all component parameters based on physiological data available in the literature. Two model configurations are presented in this paper, the first featuring elements with purely linear constitutive relations, and the second featuring nonlinear constitutive relations for the larger vessels.

Left ventricular assist devices as bridge to heart transplantation in congestive heart failure with pulmonary hypertension.

Severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been considered a significant contraindication to cardiac transplantation. Ongoing clinical experience, however, has shown that temporary support using left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in these patients can result in significant reductions in PH. A comprehensive review of the available literature regarding the use of LVADs in heart failure patients with PH was conducted.

Clinical results with an ePTFE inflow conduit for mechanical circulatory support.

Background: Neurologic complication is an adverse event associated with mechanical circulatory support. To decrease the incidence of embolic cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) during support with the Novacor left ventricular assist system (LVAS), an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) inflow conduit has been developed and introduced clinically.

Methods: Using clinical data from Europe and Canada, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the incidence of embolic CVA with the ePTFE inflow conduit (n=88) in comparison with the previously used polyester inflow conduits (n=310, including Vascutek n=155 and Cooley n=155).

Intercontinental LVAS patient transport.

Mechanical circulatory support is currently indicated for patients with cardiac insufficiency as a bridge to transplantation or as a bridge to recovery. These systems continue to evolve and improve, and many patients (after they are stabilized) are now able to be discharged from the hospital. This article reports our experience with the intercontinental transportation of a patient while being supported with a Novacor left ventricular assist system (WorldHeart Corp, Ottawa, Canada).

Virtual anatomical three-dimensional fit trial for intra-thoracically implanted medical devices.

Our purpose is to develop a system that converts computed tomography (CT) scans into an interactive three-dimensional (3-D) model of the thoracic cavity. This study will allow for the preoperative determination of optimal anatomical fit of intra-thoracically implanted medical equipment such as circulatory support devices. From the radiology data bank, we consecutively selected 34 cardiac and 42 noncardiac patients who had CT scans of the chest.

Under-utilization of mechanical circulatory support in Canada: why and what can be done?

In October of 2002, a workshop was held as part of the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Edmonton, Canada, entitled "Under-Utilization of Mechanical Circulatory Support in Canada. Why and What Can Be Done?" The workshop examined various issues related to the use of mechanical circulatory support devices in the Canadian context. Representatives from all Canadian centers with active mechanical circulatory support programs were invited to participate and participants included surgeons and cardiologists, as well as other affiliated health professionals.

Heart transplantation at the Ottawa heart institute: comparison with Canadian and international results.

Heart transplantation has been carried out in 340 patients in Ottawa, including seventy-one who required mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to transplant. Survival in Ottawa was compared with other Canadian centers based on data from the Canadian Organ Replacement Register up to the year 2000 and with the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) registry 2001. For survival analysis, the number of adult patients at risk at year 0 was 303 (87 transplanted from 1985 to 1990, 105 from 1990 to 1994, and 111 from 1995 to 2000).

Improved early survival with the total artificial heart.

We report our experience with the total artificial heart (TAH) to determine if outcomes have improved. Thirty-one patients received the TAH as a bridge to transplant and were divided into the two groups A (eighteen implanted in the first eight years) and B (thirteen implanted in the last eight years). Changes in management included immediate sternal closure, early extubation, delayed transplant listing, early rehabilitation, and measurement of preformed antibodies.

Patient selection for left ventricular assist devices.

The use of mechanical support as a bridge to cardiac transplant has become the standard of care in many cardiac transplant centers. This therapy has been shown to increase survival and improve morbidity in carefully selected patients waiting for heart transplantation. With approximately 30000 patients being listed worldwide for transplant every year and only 3500 transplantations performed annually, alternative strategies need to be developed to minimize morbidity and mortality in this high-risk population.

Ventricular assist devices as a bridge to cardiac transplantation: the Ottawa experience.

This article reports our experience with ventricular assist devices (VADs) as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. From 1991 to 2003, a total of 42 patients received a Thoratec VAD (Thoratec Laboratories Corporation Inc., Pleasanton, CA, U.