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Artif Organs 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Department of Nephrology, Transplantation and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.

Background: Biolasol is a newly developed preserving solution for cold organ storage prior to transplantation. To date, only animal model experiments results are available.

Objective: The aim of this single center analysis was to summarize the clinical experience concerning the early post-transplant course of kidney grafts preserved with Biolasol in comparison with other preservation solutions. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo, Japan.

Although the magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump (mag-lev pump) is considered superior to other pumps in antithrombogenicity, thrombotic complications are still reported. Research on thrombus detection inside a mag-lev pump is very important for solving this problem. Our research group has already proposed a method to detect a thrombus inside a mag-lev pump in real-time without additional sensor, which is named the impeller vibration method. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic touching thousands of patients all around the world. Patients supported with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are usually affected by long-standing cardiovascular diseases and subjected to variations of the normal cardiovascular physiology, thus requiring an even closer monitoring during the COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a drastic reduction of routine clinical activities and a consequent risk of looser connections between LVAD patients and their referring center. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, The People's Republic of China.

Artif Organs 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.

Artif Organs 2020 May 22. Epub 2020 May 22.

University of Padova - Medicine, Via Nicolò Giustiniani, 2 Padova, PD, 35121, Italy.

The dialyzer is the core element of the extracorporeal blood purification therapies where several processes take place depending on specific membrane characteristics. To date, the filter choice requires preliminary knowledge of all its characteristics as they cannot be easily deduced from the commercial trade name. Hence the difficulty in identifying easily equivalent dialyzers and clearly comparing single filter characteristics. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Jun;44(6):663-664

Artif Organs 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, 44195, USA.

Objective: The motion-activated system (MAS) employs vibration to prevent intraluminal chest tube clogging. We evaluated the intraluminal clot formation inside chest tubes using high-speed camera imaging and post-explant histology analysis of thrombus.

Methods: The chest tube clogging was tested (MAS vs. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

Medtronic Inc Ringgold standard institution - MCS Analytics, 500 Old Connecticut Path , Framingham, Massachusetts, 01701, United States.

The Medtronic Autologs System allows real-time clinician review of HeartWare™ HVAD™ System logfiles, providing supplemental pump data to aid in patient management. In its first year of availability, Autologs generated a 70% increase in logfile submissions, with 73% of all logfile requests being sent to Autologs. Within a month of its launch, Autologs submissions outnumbered the amount of logfiles submitted for manual review. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May 18. Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.

A minimized perfusion circuit (MPC) may reduce the transfusion requirement and inflammatory response. Its use, however, has not been standardized for complicated cardiovascular surgery. We assessed outcomes of surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) performed with a MPC under circulatory arrest. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May 16. Epub 2020 May 16.

Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common adverse event after continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation. We sought to evaluate patterns of GIB development and related outcomes in CF-LVAD recipients. An electronic search was performed to identify all articles related to GIB in the setting of CF-LVAD implantation. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

CEAC, Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide, except Africa, where Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is the leading cause of death. In this scenario, the ventricular assist device (VAD) remains the unique alternative to extend patient life until heart transplantation. At Dante Pazzanese Institute of Cardiology, the research and development of an axial flow VAD to be fully implantable within the heart was started. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Jun 14;44(6):661-662. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, West German Heart and Vascular Center Essen, University Hospital of Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

Artif Organs 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Energy Research Unit, School of MaterialSciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 700032, West Bengal, India.

Cartilage is avascular with limited to no regenerative capacity, so its loss could be a challenge for reconstructive surgery. Current treatment options for damaged cartilage are also limited. In this aspect there is a tremendous need to develop an ideal cartilage mimicking biomaterial that could repair maxillofacial defects. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May 8. Epub 2020 May 8.

Center for Diabetes Technology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

Artif Organs 2020 May 5. Epub 2020 May 5.

Department of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Harefield Hospital, London, UK.

Artif Organs 2020 May 4. Epub 2020 May 4.

Braile Biomédica Ind. Com. e Repres. Ltda., Av. Pres. Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, 1505 - Jardim Tarraf I, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of chemical treatment with glutamic acid to avoid the calcification of biological cardiac valves. The bovine pericardium (BP) tissues were fixed with 0.5% glutaraldehyde (BP/GA), followed by treatment with glutamic acid (BP/GA+Glu) for neutralization of the free aldehydes groups. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 29. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics (LaBS), Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.

Total Artificial Heart (TAH) represents the only valid alternative to heart transplantation, which number is continuously increasing in recent years. The Carmat-TAH, example of a modern generation of TAH, is a biventricular pulsatile, electrically powered, hydraulically actuated flow pump with all components embodied in a single device. One of the major issues for TAHs is the washout capability of the device, strictly correlated to the presence of blood stagnation sites. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Jun 29;44(6):544-560. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Professor Emeritus, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 23. Epub 2020 Apr 23.

UO of Cardiac Surgery and Heart Failure Division (UO of Cardiology), Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Italy.

Introduction: Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) are considered standard of care for end stage heart failure (HF) patients. Although, despite increasing confidence in the technology, evidence data, endorsement by scientific societies and guidelines, the number of implants reached a steady state and is not increasing at the expected pace. This is most likely related to complications that are still burdening the technology and consequently excluding the most needing, ill and fragile population. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Product Development Group Zurich, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Pulsatile ventricular assist devices (pVADs) yield a blood flow that imitates the pulsatile flow of the heart and, therefore, could diminish the adverse events related to the continuous flow provided by the ventricular assist devices that are commonly used. However, their intrinsic characteristics of larger size and higher weight set a burden to their implantation, that along with the frequent mechanical failures and thrombosis events, reduce the usage of pVADs in the clinical environment. In this study, we investigated the possibility to reduce the pump size by using high pump stroke ratios while maintaining the ability to control the hemodynamics of the cardiovascular system (CVS). Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Department of Hepatology, The Third Central Clinical College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.

Hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is difficult to treat and carries a high risk of short-term mortality. This study aimed to explore the effect of artificial liver support system (ALSS) on the survival of HBV-ACLF patients and to investigate which HBV-ACLF patients may benefit from ALSS treatment. We enrolled 132 patients hospitalized for HBV-ACLF according to the criteria of the Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B-ACLF (COSSH-ACLF) from 425 ACLF patients who were determined to at least meet the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver criteria and followed up for 90 days. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Unifei- Federal University of Itajubá, Faculty of materials engineering, Av. BPS, 1303, Itajuba Minas Gerais, 37500- 903, Brazil.

The polymers poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) has been used in biomaterial field for its relatively inexpensive price and suitability for modification. Also, its chemical and biological properties are desirable on the biomedical application. The electrospinning process has been used for producing polymer fibers of PCL due in large part to an increased interest in nanoscale properties and technologies. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Department of Biohybrid & Medical Textiles (BioTex), AME - Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.

Endothelialized oxygenator devices (EndOxy) with a physiological, nonthrombogenic, and anti-inflammatory surface offer the potential to overcome current shortcomings of conventional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation such as complications like thromboembolism and bleeding that deteriorate adequate long-term hemocompatibility. The approach of endothelialization of gas exchange membranes, and thus the formation of a nonthrombogenic and anti-inflammatory surface, is promising. In this study, we investigated the mid-term shear stress resistance as well as gas transfer rates and cell densities of endothelial cells seeded on RGD-conjugated polydimethylsiloxane (RGD-PDMS) gas exchange membranes under dynamic conditions. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 17. Epub 2020 Apr 17.

Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

The use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as a treatment method for heart failure patients has been steadily increasing; however, pathological studies showed presence of thrombi around the HeartWare ventricular assist device inflow cannula (IC) in more than 95% of patients after device explantation. Flow fields around the IC might trigger thrombus formation and require further investigation. In this study flow dynamics parameters were evaluated for different patient geometries using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 16. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Department of Radiology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.

Perfusion decellularization has been proposed as a promising method for generating nonimmunogenic organs from allogeneic or xenogeneic donors. Several imaging modalities have been used to assess vascular integrity in bioengineered organs with no consistency in the methodology used. Here, we studied the use of fluoroscopic angiography performed under controlled flow conditions for vascular integrity assessment in bioengineered kidneys. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May;44(5):537

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 12. Epub 2020 Apr 12.

Department of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, IL, USA.

Mechanical heart valves left in situ at the time of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation are thought to potentially increase the risk of thromboembolism. Recommendations exist to replace dysfunctional mechanical mitral valves and any mechanical aortic valves at the time of LVAD implantation. Due to potential increases in cardiopulmonary bypass time and associated comorbidities with valve replacement, leaving a functional mechanical valve in place at LVAD implantation has been suggested to be a safe option. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 12. Epub 2020 Apr 12.

Children's Heart Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Development and Translational Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.

In heart transplantation, time restriction is an unavoidable thorny problem during cardiac transport. Cold storage is an important organ preservation method in donor heart transport. Cold-inducible RNA binding protein (CIRBP) has been proven to play a protective role under cold stress. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 12. Epub 2020 Apr 12.

Department of Biochemistry, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

The aim of the study was to compare expanded hemodialysis (HDx) with hemodiafiltration (HDF) at different infusion flows to identify the main determinants, namely blood flow (Qb), replacement volume, infusion flow (Qi), ultrafiltration flow (Q ), filtration fraction (FF), and the point at which the effectiveness of HDF equals or exceeds that of HDx. We conducted a prospective, single-center study in 12 patients. Each patient underwent 12 dialysis sessions: six sessions with Qb 350 and six with Qb 400 mL/min; with each Qb, one session was with HDx and five sessions were with FX80 (one in HD, and four with Qi 50, 75, 90/100 mL/min or autosubstitution in postdilution HDF). Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 12. Epub 2020 Apr 12.

Division of Cardiac Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Based on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network data as of December 2019, more than 113 000 patients require an organ transplantation, yet, over the course of this past year, only 36 000 patients received a transplant. This discrepancy between those that need a donor organ and those that receive one remains one of medicine's biggest challenges. Multiple solutions, both biologic and artificial, have been proposed to mitigate this difference. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 12. Epub 2020 Apr 12.

Department of Nephrology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

The effects of acute changes during hemodialysis (HD) on the myocardium are not yet known. The invention of three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) has offered clinicians a new method to assess the movements of ventricular segments simultaneously in three spatial directions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of first weekly standard HD process on the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) global and regional myocardial function in patients with normal left ventricle ejection fraction using 3DSTE-derived indices. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 12. Epub 2020 Apr 12.

Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) could ameliorate the energy status and viability of bowel grafts from cardiac death donors. However, the function of these grafts after transplantation is not clear. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the early function of intestinal grafts after transplantation from expected cardiac death donors supported with normothermic extracorporeal support using a porcine allogeneic orthotopic segmental small bowel transplantation model. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 12. Epub 2020 Apr 12.

Columbia University Medical Center, Pediatrics, 3959 Broadway, 229 North, New York, United States.

Utilization of ventricular assist devices (VADs) in adult populations with severe heart failure as a bridge to transplant (BTT) has become standard of care over the past 2 decades. Analogously, the use of VADs in pediatric populations have become more commonplace as pediatric heart transplantation has become more prevalent. We still have much to learn, however, about the complications after VAD placement in pediatric patients, their impact on transplantation and, in particular, how outcomes have changed over time. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Jun 22;44(6):543. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 3. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.

Limited data exist regarding patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support who require long-term inotropes. Our primary objective was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and all-cause mortality of LVAD recipients with prolonged inotrope use (PIU). Secondary endpoints were to compare predictors of PIU, mortality, risk of late re-initiation of inotropes, time to gastrointestinal bleed (GIB), infection, and arrhythmias. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 3. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Cardiovascular Biomechanics group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) provide cardiac support to patients with advanced heart failure. Methods that can directly measure remaining LV function following device implantation do not currently exist. Previous studies have shown that a combination of loading (LV pressure) and deformation (strain) measurements enables quantitation of myocardial work. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 3. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Second Department of Surgery, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku, Japan.

Efficacy for alleviating signs/symptoms of malignant ascites of a renovated CART (cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy) system, called KM-CART, was evaluated. A total of 4781 KM-CART procedures were performed in 2109 patients. All patients were accepted unless hemodynamically unstable or consciousness impaired. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr 2. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.

An advanced ventricular assist device (VAD), which is under development in our institution, has specific features that allow changes in the axial rotor position and pump performance by intrapump pressure difference. However, performance could be influenced by the pump orientation because of the effect of gravity on the rotor position. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of pump orientation on the pump performance, including pulse pressure and regurgitant flow through the pump when the pump was stopped. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 May 30;44(5):526-531. Epub 2020 Mar 30.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.

Artif Organs 2020 Mar 26. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

MEMS Research Centre, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, KLEF, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Human Kidneys tend to get affected adversely and fail to function more often than any other organ in the body because of diet, heredity, and lifestyle of a person. Dialysis technique presently in use for replacing the failed kidney function but it is packed with painfulness, bulkiness and is costly also. There is a growing need for development of an artificial kidney that eradicates the problems associated with dialysis. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Mar 26. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

BioCirc Research Laboratory, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Limited donor organs and alternative therapies have led to a growing interest in the use of blood pumps as a treatment strategy for patients with single functional ventricle. The present study examines the use of collapsible and flexible impeller, cage, and diffuser designs of an axial blood pump for Fontan patients. Using one-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) studies, the impact of blade deformation on blood damage and pump performance was investigated for flexible impellers. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Mar 26. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Münster, Muenster, Germany.

The aim of the present study is to report our long-term experience with the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System (HVAD). Between July 2009 and February 2018, a total of 103 patients (mean age 50.0 ± 14. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Mar 26. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.

In this study, we developed a trans-valve left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that unites a rear-impeller axial-flow blood pump (AFBP) and a polymer membrane valve placed at the aortic valve position. The diameter and length of the rear impeller AFBP was 12 and 63 mm, respectively. The polymer membrane valve was similar to the jelly-fish valve consisting of a valve leaflet made of silicone rubber (thickness 0. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Mar 26. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Italy.

An artificial sphincter is a device that replaces the function of the biological sphincter by occluding the relative biological lumen. The investigation of occlusion methods for artificial sphincters is crucial for a reliable and effective design of such devices. The compression induced onto the tissue by a certain pressure depends on the biomechanical and physiological features of the lumen and on the specific occlusion method. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Mar 18. Epub 2020 Mar 18.

Department of Biochemistry, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Extracorporeal circulation is accompanied by changes in red blood cell morphology and structural integrity that affect cell function and survival, and thereby may contribute to the various side effects of heart-lung machine-assisted surgery. Our main objectives were to determine the effect of circulation of red blood cells in a stand-alone extracorporeal circuit on several parameters that are known to be affected by, as well as contribute to red blood cell aging. As a source of RBCs, we employed blood bank storage units of different ages. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Mar 18. Epub 2020 Mar 18.

Department of Gastroenterology and Oncology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.

Cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART) is an effective therapy for refractory ascites. However, CART is difficult to perform as ascites filtration and concentration is a complicated procedure. Moreover, the procedure requires the constant assistance of a clinical engineer or/and the use of an expensive equipment for the multi-purpose blood processing. Read More

Artif Organs 2020 Apr;44(4):355-360

Penn State Pediatric Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Surgery, and Bioengineering, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Health Children's Hospital, Hershey, PA, USA.

Artif Organs 2020 Apr;44(4):438

Artif Organs 2020 Apr;44(4):E181-E198