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S Einav

Publications and source records attributed to S Einav.

53 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

In-vitro evaluation of a valveless cardiac-assist pump.

Diseases of the cardiovascular system are a major health-care problem. Nearly 50% of all deaths are due to cardiovascular disease. A number of cardiovascular patients experience heart failure, mostly of the left ventricle, and require some form of mechanical support. Cardiac-assist devices are used widely in the treatment of patients with damaged heart muscle. Cardiac-assist devices have been introduced recently to maintain circulation in heart failure patients, until a suitable heart transplant donor is found. Earlier types of left ventricular assist devices were the copulsation and the counterpulsation pumps, which increased the efficiency of the vascular system and decreased the workload on the failed heart. In this study, the authors investigated the performance of a valveless cardiac assist device that can be operated in copulsation, counterpulsation, or any intermediate mode with the left ventricle. The device has only one connection to the ascending aorta, no valves, and a common inlet/outlet. The authors measured the hemodynamic parameters in all modes and have suggested an optimal mode of operation in a left ventricular heart failure mode.

Heart Diseases↗

The effect of colloid osmotic pressure on the survival of sheep following cardiac surgery.

The occurrence of late complications in implanted cardiac prosthetic valves has emphasized the need for the development of an animal model in which these complications are reproducible. Sheep constitute an excellent model for chronical and pathological studies of prosthetic devices. In our experience, survival of sheep following implantation of prosthetic valves is closely related to postoperative serum colloid osmotic pressure (C.O.P.). The normal range as measured in 28 healthy sheep was 16.67 +/- 0.55 mm Hg. A protocol was developed to maintain the colloid hydrostatic pressure gradient (C.H.P.G.) as close as possible to the normal physiological range, and to delay the extubation until the C.O.P. was within this range, and the C.H.P.G. greater than 7 mm Hg. Using the above protocol, a new tri-leaflet polyurethane valve was inserted into eight, five to seven month old sheep in place of the mitral and tricuspidal valves. One hour after terminating the extacorporeal circuit, the C.O.P. was measured at 13.10 +/- 0.96; but within five to six hours, it rose to 17.1 +/- 1.1. During the same period, the C.H.P.G. increased from 3.02 +/- 0.96 to 7.6 +/- 0.50 mm Hg. The postoperative period was uneventful, and all animals survived. We have thus concluded that the routine measurement and monitoring of C.O.P. constitutes a guide of great clinical importance.

Animals↗

Fringe mode transmittance laser Doppler microscope anemometer: its adaptation for measurement in the microcirculation.

Blood flow analysis in the microcirculation requires accurate measurement of velocity, volume flow and shear-rate versus shear-stress relationships. The resolution of most anemometers is too limited to obtain useful measurements, especially near the blood vessel wall and at branches and bifurcations. To make such measurements possible with a noninvasive, high resolution, accurate technique, we have developed a fringe mode, transmittance laser Doppler microscope anemometer (LDMA). This system has an intrinsically high spatial resolution (10 x 12 microns), and does not require a high concentration (10(6)/cm3) of scatters or red blood cells (RBC) as in our application. Preliminary measurements of water flow in a rectangular channel were conducted to ascertain the reliability and accuracy of velocity measurements using the LDMA. Velocity profiles were then measured by the LDMA system in arterioles 38-135 microns in diameter, in the transparent, everted cheek pouch of the anaesthetized hamster. The extremely high resolution of the optical system, and the ultra-fine traversing mechanism of the microscope stage, made velocity readings larger than 0.02 mm/s with accuracy and reproducibility better than 1%, possible near the wall to within 7-10 microns.

Animals↗

Effect of experimental cardioplegia methods on normal and hypertrophied rat hearts.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of verapamil hydrochloride to oxygenated glucose-rich cardioplegic solution would improve myocardial preservation. The Langendorff preparation of the isolated rat heart was used. Groups of normal (WKY) and hypertrophied (SHR) hearts were treated by five different cardioplegic methods and subjected to 90 or 30 minutes of ischemia at 28 degrees to 29 degrees C and reperfusion at 37 degrees C. The following cardioplegic solutions were used: Group A, cold (16 degrees C) Krebs-Henseleit (KH) glucose free only; Group B, KH with KCL (30 mEq/L) (16 degrees C); Group C, same as B with verapamil (10 microM); Group D, perfusion with oxygenated KH solution containing KCL (30 mEq/L) for 15 minutes prior to ischemia; and Group E, same as D with verapamil (10 microM). Recovery of contraction amplitude, ischemic contracture, coronary perfusate volume, the amount of creatine kinase in the coronary perfusate, heart rate, time of revival, O2 consumption, and ischemic contracture were measured. After 30 minutes of ischemia, we did not find any significant difference among the combinations tested with respect to contraction amplitude recovery. The hearts recovered fully. After 90 minutes of ischemia, we found that the best-protected groups in the normal hearts were Groups D and E. In the hypertrophied hearts, the addition of verapamil to the enhancement solution was harmful. The use of enhancement solution without verapamil prior to ischemia provided the best myocardial protection in the hypertrophied hearts.

Animals↗

Combined effect of glucose and verapamil in experimental cardioplegia.

In this study, we determined whether pre-ischemic enhancement of the ATP level and the addition of verapamil (a calcium blocker) to the cardioplegic solution could improve myocardial protection during cardiac arrest. Using the Langendorff preparation of the isolated rat heart plus different cardioplegic solutions, five groups of normal rat hearts and five groups of hypertrophied rat hearts were subjected to 90-minute ischemic periods at 28 degrees +/- 1 and reperfusion of 30 minutes at 37 degrees C. Group A received no cardioplegic solution; Group B received KCl, 30 mEq/L; Group C received type B perfusion with verapamil; and Group D received 15 minutes of pre-ischemic oxygenated enhancement perfusion containing KCl, 30 mEq/L, and glucose as substrate at 37 degrees C. Group E received the same perfusion as Group D, with the addition of verapamil to the enhancement perfusion. Light and E/M microscopy was performed on representative samples of left ventricular muscle. We found that pre-ischemic enhancement with KCl, glucose, and verapamil was only protective in the normal hearts after 90 minutes of ischemia. In hypertrophied hearts, the addition of verapamil to the enhancement solution was harmful. The use of pre-ischemic enhancement solution without verapamil provided the best myocardial protection after 90 minutes of ischemia in the hypertrophied hearts.

Journal Article↗

Haemodynamics of coronary artery-saphenous vein bypass.

The velocity distribution of a suspension of red blood cell ghosts in an idealized model of the coronary artery-saphenous vein bypass has been investigated with the aid of laser Doppler anemometry. Pulsatile flow simulated pressure variations in the ascending aorta and ghost cell velocities were determined by the Doppler shift of scattered laser light. Using four different model bypasses it was demonstrated that turbulent flow at the graft-coronary intersection can be delayed by decreasing the discontinuity in diameter between the bypass vein and coronary artery, and also by reducing the bypass vein and host coronary artery intersection angle.

Biomedical Engineering↗

A magnetic resonance imaging method of flow by successive excitation of a moving slice.

A new magnetic resonance imaging of flow by a method of successive excitation of a moving slice is presented here. The method, which in general belongs to the class of time-of-flight methods, is based upon selectively changing the frequencies in a sequence of rf pulses in such a way that a selected slice moves through the imaged volume in a preselected direction and velocity, and is repeatedly excited. It is claimed that most of the measured signal is contributed by only those parts of the imaged substance that move with the selected slice. The activation procedure of the flowing spins, which is presented here, enhances the imaging of the flowing matter and reduces the signal from static matter. A specially tailored selective sequence of a rf alpha-pulses has been developed. During this sequence, a set of rephasing 180 degrees selective rf pulses is applied. At the end of this sequence an additional 180 degrees rf pulse is applied to eliminate redundant signals from the static matter in the last activated slice.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging↗

Possible detection of turbulent blood flow using multiparametric encoding gradients in MRI.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has significant potential as a highly accurate noninvasive flow measurement technique. Presented here is an approach to the imaging of turbulence in the velocity profiles. Recent publications have presented multiparametric encoding gradient methods, which are based on a deterministic rather than a statistical approach to spin motion. Following these methods of building up a general gradient from a basic set of gradients, the effects of turbulence and undetermined moments of motion on the image are discussed. Image blurring due to the nondeterministic behavior of spins (e.g., diffusion, turbulence) is not removed by these techniques, and this fact may be useful in identifying regions of turbulent flow, which are of importance in the clinical observation of cardiac and vascular haemodynamics. Due to its random nature, the elimination of turbulent effects by the use of a deterministic method is bound to fail. On the other hand, regions of turbulent flow may be identified due to signal decrease from those regions, provided one is careful to remove all the causes of nonturbulent signal reduction present due to nonturbulent flow moments. In the multiparametric phase encoding method, gradient amplitude tends to increase with higher moments of motion. The temporal behavior of these gradients is discussed, and it is suggested that the increase in their duration will enhance the encoding of higher motion terms at the expense of imaging time.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

A decoupled coil detector array for fast image acquisition in magnetic resonance imaging.

A method for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is investigated here, whereby an object is put under a homogeneous magnetic field, and the image is obtained by applying inverse source procedures to the data collected in an array of coil detectors surrounding the object. The induced current in each coil due to the precession of the magnetic dipole in each voxel depends on the characteristics of both the magnetic dipole frequency and strength, together with its distance from the coil, the coil direction in space, and the electrical properties of the coils. By calculating the induced current signals over an array of coil detectors, a relationship is established between the set of signals and the structure of the body under investigation. The linear relation can then be represented in matrix notation, and inversion of this matrix will produce an image of the body. Important problems which must be considered in the proposed method are signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and coupling between adjacent coils. Solutions to these problems will provide a new method for obtaining an instantaneous image by NMR, with no need for gradient switching for encoding. A general algorithm for decoupling of the coils is presented and fast sampling of the signal, instead of filtering, is used in order to reduce both noise and numerical roundoff errors at the same time. Sensitivity considerations are made with respect to the number of coils that is required and its connection with coil radius and SNR. A computer simulation demonstrates the feasibility of this new modality. Based on the solutions presented here for the problems involved in the use of a large number of coils for a simultaneous recording of the signal, an improved method of multicoil recording is suggested, whereby it is combined with the conventional zeugmatographic method with read and phase gradients, to result in a novel method of magnetic resonance imaging. In the combined method, there are no phase-encoding gradients. Only a single slice-selecting gradient, to be followed by a single read-gradient. Instead of phase-encoding gradients, use is made of an equivalent number of coils. The number of coils now is reduced significantly. This method suggests a single slice image taken within a single echo time, and where a 128 x 128 resolution is possible with only 128 coils. The applicability of the method is based on a successful decoupling procedure for the detectors (coils and cables) and the availability of highly accurate, high-gain, low-noise amplifiers with a broad dynamic range.

Computer Simulation↗

A case of nerves.

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Cervical Plexus↗

Numerical model and experimental investigation of blood flow through a bifurcation. Interaction between an artery and a small prosthesis.

The use of prosthetic vascular grafts as bypass to arteries of small diameter (< 5 mm) often is thwarted by occlusion after months of apparently normal function. This work presents a numeric simulation of the flow through a distal anastomosis. A finite element method has been applied, providing information on the velocity field, streamlines, wall shear stresses, and vorticity in the different geometries. The study illustrates the dependence of the flow pattern and wall shear stress distribution upon Reynolds number, and the results show high shear stresses, approximately 3-5 times larger than normal, acting on the vessel wall at the branching point for the small diameter branch.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗