Design of an Experimental Test System to Investigate Parameters Affecting Distal Tip Loads of Pacemaker and Defibrillator Leads

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Stephen ◽  
Donna L. Walsh ◽  
Nandini Duraiswamy ◽  
Oleg Vesnovsky ◽  
L. D. Timmie Topoleski

The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate a system to test the mechanical behavior of pacemaker and defibrillator leads. Over 300,000 pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) procedures are performed every year in the U.S. for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, ventricular dysrhythmias, and congestive heart failure. These procedures require implanting transvenous leads into the interior wall of the heart. A serious and sometimes fatal complication that may occur during or after lead implantation is perforation of the lead tip through the heart wall. The factors that lead to perforation are not fully understood. This illustrates that the mechanical interactions between the lead tip and the cardiac tissue need to be further investigated to improve the outcome for pacemaker and ICD patients. To improve the performance of lead tips, the testing protocols must reproduce physiological and clinically relevant tip-tissue interactions. As a first step toward this goal, testing parameters that influence those interactions must be identified. We investigated the effect of test system parameters, which reproduce potentially critical physiological constraints, on the load experienced at the distal tip of thirteen pacemaker and defibrillator active-fixation leads. We evaluated the use of a constraint to simulate the effect of the right ventricle (RV constraint) in vivo, how and where the lead was fixed in the test configuration, location of the load cell in the test system, rotation and frequency of the test protocol, and the effect of stylets. Results showed the RV constraint and load cell placement had the largest impact on lead tip load, while rotation of the test setup and test frequency had a minimal impact. Recommendations are made for a test system and protocol for in vitro testing of leads that take into consideration in vivo conditions. Better approximations of the in vivo environment may lead to improved product development. The potential of this system to more effectively evaluate new pacemaker and defibrillator lead designs will require further study.

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 386
Author(s):  
Ana Santos ◽  
Yongjun Jang ◽  
Inwoo Son ◽  
Jongseong Kim ◽  
Yongdoo Park

Cardiac tissue engineering aims to generate in vivo-like functional tissue for the study of cardiac development, homeostasis, and regeneration. Since the heart is composed of various types of cells and extracellular matrix with a specific microenvironment, the fabrication of cardiac tissue in vitro requires integrating technologies of cardiac cells, biomaterials, fabrication, and computational modeling to model the complexity of heart tissue. Here, we review the recent progress of engineering techniques from simple to complex for fabricating matured cardiac tissue in vitro. Advancements in cardiomyocytes, extracellular matrix, geometry, and computational modeling will be discussed based on a technology perspective and their use for preparation of functional cardiac tissue. Since the heart is a very complex system at multiscale levels, an understanding of each technique and their interactions would be highly beneficial to the development of a fully functional heart in cardiac tissue engineering.


2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (02) ◽  
pp. 324-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabie Jouni ◽  
Heike Zöllner ◽  
Ahmad Khadour ◽  
Jan Wesche ◽  
Anne Grotevendt ◽  
...  

SummaryProtamine (PRT) is the standard drug to neutralise heparin. PRT/heparin complexes induce an immune response similar to that observed in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Partially desulfated heparin (ODSH) was shown to interfere with anti-platelet factor 4/heparin antibodies (Abs), which are responsible for HIT. In this study, we analyse the impact of ODSH on the interaction between anti-PRT/heparin Abs and platelets. The ability of ODSH to prevent anti-PRT/heparin Ab-induced platelet destruction in vivo was investigated using the NOD/ SCID mouse model. ODSH improved platelet survival in the presence of PRT, heparin and anti-PRT/heparin Abs (median platelet survival after 300 minutes (min) with 20 μg/ml ODSH: 75 %, range 70–81 % vs without ODSH: 49%, range 44–59%, p=0.006). Furthermore, when ODSH was applied 60 min after Ab injection platelet survival was improved (median platelet survival after 300 min with ODSH: 83 %, range 77–93 % vs without ODSH: 59 %, range 29–61 %, p=0.02). In in vitro experiments ODSH inhibited platelet activation at concentrations > 16 μg/mL (p< 0.001), as well as PRT/heparin complex binding to platelets (mean fluorescence intensity [MFI] without ODSH: 85 ± 14 vs with ODSH: 15 ± 0.6, p=0.013). ODSH also displaced pre-bound complexes from the platelet surface (MFI without ODSH: 324 ± 43 vs with 32 μg/ml ODSH: 53 ± 9, p< 0.001). While interfering with platelet activation by anti-PRT/heparin Abs, up to a concentration of 16 μg/ml, ODSH had only minimal impact on neutralisation of heparin by PRT. In conclusion, our study shows that ODSH is able to inhibit platelet activation and destruction suggesting a potential clinical use to reduce anti-PRT/heparin Ab-mediated adverse effects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Pollyanna Francielli de Oliveira ◽  
Suzana Amorim Mendes ◽  
Nathália Oliveira Acésio ◽  
Luis Claudio Kellner Filho ◽  
Leticia Pereira Pimenta ◽  
...  

The medicinal plant Vochysia divergens is a colonizing tree species of the Pantanal, a unique and little explored wetland region in Brazil. This species is used in folk medicine as syrups and teas to treat respiratory infections, digestive disorders, asthma, scarring, and skin diseases. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the antioxidant, cytotoxic, and genotoxic potential of the ethanolic extract of Vochysia divergens leaves (VdE), as well as the influence of VdE and its major component (the flavone 3′,5-dimethoxy luteolin-7-O-β-glucopyranoside; 3′5 DL) on MMS-induced genotoxicity. The extract significantly reduced the viability of V79 cells in the colorimetric XTT assay at concentrations ≥ 39 μg/mL. A significant increase in micronucleus frequencies was observed in V79 cell cultures treated with VdE concentrations of 160 and 320 μg/mL. However, animals treated with the tested doses of VdE (500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg b.w.) exhibited frequencies that did not differ significantly from those of the negative control group, indicating the absence of genotoxicity. The results also showed that VdE was effective in reducing MMS-induced genotoxicity at concentrations of 20, 40, and 80 μg/mL in the in vitro test system and at a dose of 15 mg/kg b.w. in the in vivo test system. Its major component 3′5 DL exerted no protective effect, suggesting that it is not responsible for the effect of the extract. The results of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay showed that VdE was able to scavenge 92.6% of free radicals. In conclusion, the results suggest that the protective effect of VdE may be related, at least in part, to the antioxidant activity of its chemical constituents.


2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (13) ◽  
pp. 1393-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Korolj ◽  
Erika Yan Wang ◽  
Robert A. Civitarese ◽  
Milica Radisic

Engineering functional cardiac tissues remains an ongoing significant challenge due to the complexity of the native environment. However, our growing understanding of key parameters of the in vivo cardiac microenvironment and our ability to replicate those parameters in vitro are resulting in the development of increasingly sophisticated models of engineered cardiac tissues (ECT). This review examines some of the most relevant parameters that may be applied in culture leading to higher fidelity cardiac tissue models. These include the biochemical composition of culture media and cardiac lineage specification, co-culture conditions, electrical and mechanical stimulation, and the application of hydrogels, various biomaterials, and scaffolds. The review will also summarize some of the recent functional human tissue models that have been developed for in vivo and in vitro applications. Ultimately, the creation of sophisticated ECT that replicate native structure and function will be instrumental in advancing cell-based therapeutics and in providing advanced models for drug discovery and testing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin-Tong Wang ◽  
Zhen Peng ◽  
Ying-Ying An ◽  
Ting Shang ◽  
Guangxu Xiao ◽  
...  

Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction is a major contributor to the poor outcomes of septic shock. As an add-on with conventional sepsis management for over 15 years, the effect of Xuebijing injection (XBJ) on the sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction was not well understood. The material basis of Xuebijing injection (XBJ) in managing infections and infection-related complications remains to be defined. A murine cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model and cardiomyocytes in vitro culture were adopted to study the influence of XBJ on infection-induced cardiac dysfunction. XBJ significantly improved the survival of septic-mice and rescued cardiac dysfunction in vivo. RNA-seq revealed XBJ attenuated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and related signalings in the heart which was further confirmed on the mRNA and protein levels. Xuebijing also protected cardiomyocytes from LPS-induced mitochondrial calcium ion overload and reduced the LPS-induced ROS production in cardiomyocytes. The therapeutic effect of XBJ was mediated by the combination of paeoniflorin and hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) (C0127-2). C0127-2 improved the survival of septic mice, protected their cardiac function and cardiomyocytes while balancing gene expression in cytokine-storm-related signalings, such as TNF-α and NF-κB. In summary, Paeoniflorin and HSYA are key active compounds in XBJ for managing sepsis, protecting cardiac function, and controlling inflammation in the cardiac tissue partially by limiting the production of IL-6, IL-1β, and CXCL2.


1992 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 284-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.C. Fisher ◽  
G.M. Bernacca ◽  
T.G. Mackay ◽  
W.R. Dimitri ◽  
R. Wilkinson ◽  
...  

This study has examined a range of methods of studying the calcification process in bovine pericardial and polyurethane biomaterials. The calcification methods include static and dynamic, in vitro and in vivo tests. The analytical methods include measurement of depletion rates of calcium and phosphate from in vitro calcifying solutions, analysis of tissue contents of calcium, histological staining of tissue sections for calcium, X-ray elemental analysis, by scanning electron microscopy, of calcium and phosphorus distributions over valve leaflets calcified in vitro under dynamic conditions. Bovine pericardium, in all test settings, calcified to a much greater degree than polyurethane biomaterials. Polyurethane extracts calcified to a greater degree than bulk polyurethanes. The test protocol used allows progress through increasily demanding calcification tests, with the possibility of eliminating unsuitable materials with tests of limited complexity and expense.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chin-Hu Lai ◽  
Sudhir Pandey ◽  
Cecilia Hsuan Day ◽  
Tsung-Jung Ho ◽  
Ray-Jade Chen ◽  
...  

Cardiovascular diseases have a high prevalence worldwide and constitute the leading causes of mortality. Recently, malfunctioning of β-catenin signaling has been addressed in hypertensive heart condition. Ang-II is an important mediator of cardiovascular remodeling processes which not only regulates blood pressure but also leads to pathological cardiac changes. However, the contribution of Ang-II/β-catenin axis in hypertrophied hearts is ill-defined. Employing in vitro H9c2 cells and in vivo spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) cardiac tissue samples, western blot analysis, luciferase assays, nuclear-cytosolic protein extracts, and immunoprecipitation assays, we found that under hypertensive condition β-catenin gets abnormally induced that co-activated LEF1 and lead to cardiac hypertrophy changes by up-regulating the IGF-IIR signaling pathway. We identified putative LEF1 consensus binding site on IGF-IIR promoter that could be regulated by β-catenin/LEF1 which in turn modulate the expression of cardiac hypertrophy agents. This study suggested that suppression of β-catenin expression under hypertensive condition could be exploited as a clinical strategy for cardiac pathological remodeling processes.


Blood ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTIN J. CLINE

Abstract In order to develop a test system for predicting the response to chemotherapeutic agents, leukocytes from patients with leukemia and leukolymphosarcoma were cultured in vitro and the effect of several drugs on the incorporation of H3-uridine into ribonucleic acid was measured. Cortisol, vincristine and cytosine arabinoside at concentrations near the therapeutic range produced inhibition of H3-uridine incorporation in sensitive leukocytes. The in vitro effects of 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate were variable. In 39 trials on 25 patients with leukemia or lymphosarcoma, the in vitro test was used successfully to predict the response to treatment with prednisone and vincristine. It was concluded that the in vitro test system can predict the in vivo cytotoxicity of certain drugs for malignant cells, although it cannot be used to predict the likelihood of the induction of remissions with these drugs.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cs Perger ◽  
A von Felten

PAF is suggested to be of pathophysiological importance in a variety of diseases. Since platelets exhibit a reduced sensitivity to PAF after a contact with this agent, this behavior may be used as indicator of PAF released into the circulation. In extrinsic asthma, platelets show a diminished reaction to PAF after exposition of the patients to the antigen compared to their own platelets before exposition (Beer and von Felten, Adv. Inflamm. Res. 10:323,1986). We were therefore looking for a test system indicating directly whether platelets had been in contact with PAF.Preparation of PAF-desensitized platelets: Citrated PRP was placed in a cuvette of an aggregometer, and PAF was added in 10 portions at intervals of 10 sec (37oc, constant stirring) to a final concentration of 10 to 100 nM, depending on the individual sensitivity of each platelet preparation. Therby, only a minimal, completely reversible aggregation was registered without any release of serotonin (ST) or 3-thromboglobulin (BTG). Control platelets were pretreated with buffer instead of PAF. Both platelets preparations were kept at 37°C for 45 min. Whereas control platelets showed a secondary aggregation to PAF (5x conc. used for desensitization), PAF-pretreated piatelets were only reversibly aggregated.Sensitivity of PAF-desensitized and control platelets to other platelet agonists: No difference in aggregation, ST-or BTG-relea-se was observed after stimulation with several concentrations of ADP, collagen and arachidonate (p>0.05,n= 41).Binding of 3H-PAF to platelets: PAF-desensitized and control platelets were separated from plasma by filtration through sepharose CL-2B (Pharmacia) in hepes-buffered Tyrode’s solution. After incubation with 3H-PAF, platelets were washed on Whatman 934-AH filters (vacuum filtration). On desensitized and control platelets, we found 175±48 (mean±sd) and 231±70 3H-PAF molecules / platelet respectively after incubation with 5 nM ^h-PAF, 399±36 and 504±66 ^H-PAF molecules / platelet after incubation with 20 nM. In spite of a statistically significant reduction of PAF-binding after desensitization (p<0.01),the variability of PAF-binding between platelets of different individuals is too high to allow a discrimination of normal from PAF-desensitized platelets.


1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
pp. 943-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wilkinson ◽  
Alice Giles ◽  
Diane A. Wilkinson

A new technique is outlined for the characterization and quantification of M2 muscarinic binding sites (receptors) in micro-punches (1 mm diam.), cut from slices (350 μm), of fresh cardiac tissue using the hydrophilic antagonist [3H]N-methyl scopolamine. The use of this water-soluble ligand allows us to label, and quantify, M2 receptors on the cell surface of intact cells contained within the micropunch. We believe that cardiac micropunches offer a simple but powerful approach to the investigation of membrane receptor regulation in tissue that largely retains the in vivo cytoarchitecture. Specific binding is reversible, stereospecific, saturable, of high affinity, and has the drug specificity typical of an M2 muscarinic receptor. In rat left ventricle, Bmax was 151.2 ± 10.3 fmol/mg protein while KD was 1.0 ± 0.1 nM. Nonspecific binding of the ligand was very low, varying from 2.8% (at 0.27 nM) to 7.7% (at 3.58 nM). This micropunch assay was used to determine that progesterone can compete with the muscarinic ligand for the M2 receptor in vitro (IC50 = 50 × 10−6 M). The steroids estradiol and testosterone, as well as ouabain, were without effect. Progesterone inhibited [3H]N-methyl scopolamine binding competitively (KD reduced from 1.9 to 4.3 nM) without affecting the rate of association of the ligand. However, progesterone induced a rapid dissociation of the ligand from its receptor. We conclude that the micropunch assay described here is suitable for the continued study of sex hormone effects on cardiac function.Key words: cardiac micropunches, muscarinic receptor, progesterone, [3H]N-methyl scopolamine.


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