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Animal Model Development for the Penn State Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device
Author(s) -
Carney Elizabeth L.,
Clark J. Brian,
Myers John L.,
Peterson Rebecca,
Wilson Ronald P.,
Weiss William J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
artificial organs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.684
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1525-1594
pISSN - 0160-564X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1525-1594.2009.00896.x
Subject(s) - animal model , state (computer science) , medicine , computer science , intensive care medicine , programming language
In March 2004, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded five contracts to develop devices providing circulatory support for infants and small children with congenital and acquired cardiac disease. Since 2004, the team at Penn State College of Medicine has developed a pneumatically actuated ventricular assist device (VAD) with mechanical tilting disk valves. To date, hemodynamic performance, thrombogenesis, and hemolysis have been chronically evaluated in 16 animals, including 4 pygmy goats and 12 sheep. Major complications, mainly respiratory failure, have been encountered and resolved by a multi‐disciplinary team. Multi‐modal analgesia, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and attentive animal care have contributed to successful outcomes. Time after implant has ranged from 0 to 40 days. Most recently, a sheep implanted with Version 3 Infant VAD was electively terminated at 35 days postimplant, with no major adverse events. This report describes a successful in vivo model for evaluating a pediatric VAD.