Does cognition improve following LVAD implantation?

Background: Studies of cognition after LVAD surgery have produced mixed results. To explore whether cognition would improve, decline, or remain stable after LVAD surgery, we examined cognition before and 1- and 3-months after LVAD surgery. Patients with post-surgical stroke were excluded.

Lessons learned from the first fully magnetically levitated centrifugal LVAD trial in the United States: the DuraHeart trial.

Background: The DuraHeart is a continuous centrifugal-flow left ventricular assist device that uses active magnetic levitation for impeller positioning designed for improved hemocompatibility and durability. This study reviews the results of the US trial with specific attention to hemolysis, thrombotic complications, and pump failure.

Methods: The US SUSTAIN trial was a multicenter, prospective, single-arm observational study in advanced heart failure patients listed for transplantation.

Intravenous injections of soluble drag-reducing polymers reduce foreign body reaction to implants.

We tested whether soluble viscoelastic drag-reducing polymers (DRPs), which modify blood flow in the macro- and microcirculation, affect host response to implanted biomaterials and control biodegradation and tissue ingrowth processes. Porous poly(L-lactate) (PLLA) implants, which are naturally hydrolyzed by foreign body giant cells, were used to evaluate differences in host response. Intravenous DRPs, high-molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or poly(mannose) (PMNN), were given biweekly at 0.

Drag-reducing hyaluronic acid increases survival in profoundly hemorrhaged rats.

We tested the hypothesis that the infusion of a small volume of a drag-reducing polymer (DRP) solution can prolong survival in rats subjected to lethal hemorrhagic shock (HS; shed 51% of estimated blood volume) in the absence of complete resuscitation with fluids or blood. In this set of experiments, we used a newly designed mixture of hyaluronic acid (molecular weight, approximately 2.0 x 10 d; 0.

Development of standard tests to examine viscoelastic properties of blood of experimental animals for pediatric mechanical support device evaluation.

We investigated the applicability of measuring the viscoelasticity of bovine, ovine, and porcine whole blood for the evaluation of sublethal damage to red blood cells (RBCs). An increase in blood viscosity and elasticity without changes in hematocrit and plasma viscosity would signify a decrease in RBC deformability. Blood viscoelasticity was assessed using a Vilastic Scientific viscoelastometer.

Poly(N-vinylformamide)-A drag-reducing polymer for biomedical applications.

Water-soluble drag-reducing polymers (DRPs) were previously demonstrated to significantly increase blood flow, tissue perfusion, and tissue oxygenation when injected intravenously at nanomolar concentrations in various animal models. Turbulent flow drag-reducing ability was proven to be the most important factor defining the potential of polymers to favorably affect blood circulation. Several DRPs were applied in previous in vivo tests, but the search continues for suitable DRPs for biomedical applications.