Pull-off characteristics of double-shanked compared to single-shanked ligation clips: an animal study.

Background: The use of surgical ligation clips is considered as the gold standard for the closure of vessels, particularly in laparoscopic surgery. The safety of clips is mainly achieved by the deep indentation of the metal bar with a high retention force. A novel double-shanked (DS) titanium clip was compared to two single-shanked clips with respect to axial and radial pull-off forces.

First In Vivo Results of a Novel Pediatric Oxygenator with an Integrated Pulsatile Pump.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a pivotal bridge to recovery for cardiopulmonary failure in children. Besides its life-saving quality, it is often associated with severe system-related complications, such as hemolysis, inflammation, and thromboembolism. Novel oxygenator and pump systems may reduce such ECMO-related complications.

Sympathetic activity-associated periodic repolarization dynamics predict mortality following myocardial infarction.

Background: Enhanced sympathetic activity at the ventricular myocardium can destabilize repolarization, increasing the risk of death. Sympathetic activity is known to cluster in low-frequency bursts; therefore, we hypothesized that sympathetic activity induces periodic low-frequency changes of repolarization. We developed a technique to assess the sympathetic effect on repolarization and identified periodic components in the low-frequency spectral range (≤0.

Internally gas-cooled radiofrequency applicators as an alternative to conventional radiofrequency and microwave ablation devices: an in vivo comparison.

Purpose: To test the efficacy of internally CO2-cooled radiofrequency (RF) ablation in vivo and to compare its effectiveness to a standard water-cooled RF probe and to a gas-cooled microwave (MW) device.

Method And Materials: 49 ablations were performed on 15 pigs under general anesthesia using 15G monopolar CO2-cooled RF applicators, 17G monopolar water-cooled RF applicators and 15G internally CO2-cooled microwave devices. The power of the MW device was 45W, the current of the gas-cooled RF device was 1200-1600mA.

Assessing acute ventricular volume changes by intracardiac impedance in a chronic heart failure animal model.

Background: Implantable device diagnostics may play an essential role in simplifying the care of heart failure patients by providing fundamental insights into their complex clinical patterns. Early recognition of heart failure progression by a continuous hemodynamic monitoring would allow for timely therapeutic interventions to prevent decompensation and hospitalization. In this study, the feasibility of assessing ventricular volume changes by implant-based measurements of intracardiac impedance was tested in a heart failure animal model.

Perfusionists in the world of tissue engineering--a quick and easy method for safe isolation of huge quantities of porcine cardiomyocytes.

Isolation of huge quantities of primary cells from whole organs like the heart becomes increasingly important, especially for the emerging research field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This study deals with the isolation of pig cardiomyocytes, in contrast to the standard mouse or rat models, because we aimed to draw attention to the species, which are genetically more closely related to the human organism. The bigger operative and veterinary expenditure of the pig-heart model can only be justified by a technique that supplies a big amount of qualitative high-grade cardiomyocytes.

Intracardiac impedance monitors hemodynamic deterioration in a chronic heart failure pig model.

Introduction: A large number of heart failure (HF) patients benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy. Measurements of intrathoracic impedance (ITZ) by implantable devices correlate with intrathoracic fluid content and are used for monitoring lung edema formation in HF patients. However, intrathoracic fluid is only an indirect parameter of cardiac function.