Animal model development for the Penn State pediatric ventricular assist device.
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.
Department of Comparative Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Children's Hospital, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. ecarney@hmc.psu.edu
Elizabeth L
EL
Carney
J Brian
JB
Clark
John L
JL
Myers
Rebecca
R
Peterson
Ronald P
RP
Wilson
William J
WJ
Weiss
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012756:Sheep