Surgical Planning Laboratory

EVBio

A team I am honored to be involved in EVBio!
EVBio is a digital think tank formed by scientists from all disciplines related to vascular medicine, from molecular biology to scientific computing. Our mission is to imagine the future through disruptive basic and translational research. Our team works tirelessly to formulate one universal coherent theory for vascular disease and support all global efforts towards its conception and validation.

Our membership will increase soon!

Women in 3D Printing

I was the guest of Women in 3D Printing this week.

The full-page is on this page: https://womenin3dprinting.com/banu-kose/

Thanks to Nora Toure for all the great work she has done and for bringing us together.

Read more »

Institute of Physics / Challenges in Cardiocascular Flow

A joint meeting showcasing current work addressing the complex challenges in cardiac flow modeling, particularly focusing on the work of early career researchers (source).

‘Lauded’

Cardiovascular

Laser Doppler Velocimetry

Laser Doppler velocimetry is used in hemodynamics research as a technique to partially quantify blood flow in human tissues such as skin. Within the clinical environment, the technology is often referred to as laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). The beam from a low-power laser (usually a laser diode) penetrates the skin sufficiently to be scattered with a Doppler shift by the red blood cells and return to be concentrated on a detector. These measurements are useful to monitor the effect of exercise, drug treatments, environmental, or physical manipulations on targeted micro-sized vascular areas.

The laser Doppler vibrometer is being used in clinical otology for the measurement of tympanic membrane (eardrum), malleus (hammer), and prosthesis head displacement in response to sound inputs of 80- to 100-dB sound-pressure level. It also has potential use in the operating room to perform measurements of prosthesis and stapes (stirrup) displacement.

Me in FU Fluids Lab and The Oxygenator from IMAEH (2013)

PRINT THYSELF

This sort of procedure is becoming more and more common among doctors and medical researchers. Almost every day, I receive an e-mail from my hospital?s press office describing how yet another colleague is using a 3-D printer to create an intricately realistic surgical model?of a particular patient?s mitral valve, or finger, or optic nerve?to practice on before the actual operation. Surgeons are implanting 3-D-printed stents, prosthetics, and replacement segments of human skull. The exponents of 3-D printing contend that the technology is making manufacturing more democratic; the things we are choosing to print are becoming ever more personal and intimate. This appears to be even more true in medicine: increasingly, what we are printing is ourselves.

Source: Newyorker

Cardio-Pulmonary By-Pass Circuit

I simplify by drawing.

Trando Med

Hemodyn

Hemodyn, the first cardiovascular mechanics and surgical planning company of Turkey is taking place in StartUp Istanbul 2015.

Hemodyn is assisting the surgeons in the diagnosis and surgery planning of the congenital heart diseases in The Incubation Office of Koc University.

Hemodyn Team has always been an invariable place for my research vision. I want to thank to Kerem Pekkan, Şenol Pişkin and Volkan Tuncay by means of this event.

Link

24th European Conference on General Thoracic Surgery – İstanbul

ESTS 2016 General Thoracic Surgery Conference will be held between 29 May and 1st June.
Abstract Submissin starts with December. Save the date!
Click for the web site of the conference.

3D-Printed Artificial Heart Test / #ETH Zurich

Joint Interventional Meeting / Rome

Joint Interventional Meeting will be held on 12th February in Rome with the partipiciant TCT(Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics).

The meeting will be about the very latest Innovation on Interventional Cardiology and to approach New Techniques through educational Live Cases.

Congress directors are Antonio COLOMBO, Eberhard GRUBE, Martin B. LEON, Carlo DI MARIO, Jeffrey W. MOSES, Gregg W. STONE

Click here for the congress program.

The Office

8th Istanbul Symposium: Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Turkey, Developing CPB & ECLS Systems and Suggestions for Decreasing Complications

The 8th Istanbul Symposium will be held at Medipol University Mega Hospital.

10 January 2015, Saturday, 9:00-18:00

Symposium Comittee:

Prof. Dr. Atıf Akçevin, Yrd. Doç. Dr. Tijen Alkan-Bozkaya, Prof. Dr. Halil Türkoğlu, Prof. Dr. Akif Ündar

Click here for attending and the booklet.

Many thanks to Mehmet Hikmet Üçışık for his kind apprising.

Carol Malnati

“- I wanted to be someone that encouraged young women to get involved in math, science, and engineering.”

Today, she’s doing just that.

As a product development engineer in the Medtronic cardiovascular division, Carol has been doing what she loves for more than 25 years. She provided critical technical expertise for the company’s first implantable cardioverter defibrillator and continues to collaborate with engineering teams and physicians to find new ways of doing things.

But on top of her day job, she has taken on another commitment – overseeing the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Initiative at the company.

Beginning in the spring of 2017, Medtronic introduced another opportunity that taps into an often overlooked talent pool.  Careers 2.0 is a “returnship” program designed to provide paid internships for female engineers looking to get back into STEM-related careers. Research suggests close to 25 percent of women in engineering careers leave the industry by age 30, citing work culture or family commitments.

“This is a way to bring these talented women back into our technical and managerial ranks,” says Carol. “We are very excited about providing this amazing pool of talent an opportunity at Medtronic.”

“Overall, I want to inspire women,” says Carol. “Whatever your passion is; clean air, fighting hunger, or improving healthcare. Behind the biggest challenges of humanity, there’s an engineer working to find a solution.”

Source

The special session for the women in the field of cardiovascular surgery – The 64th Istanbul ESCVS

International Congress of the European Society for Cardiovascular and Endovascular Surgery (ESCVS) will be held on March 26th – 29th, 2015 in İstanbul in collaboration with International Congress of Update Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery.

The congress scientific program includes a session for women in cardiovascular surgery which will be held on March 28th.

Abstract Submission Deadline
December 22, 2014
…………………………………………..
Notification of Abstract Acceptance
January 2, 2015
…………………………………………..
Early Registration
until November 7, 2014

ESCVS 2015 Web Site

Thesis

Prof. Khosrow Mottaghy commented on my study <3

Link

Starfish Medical – VivitroLabs – ProtomedLabs – Marseille – France

Ece Tutsak (Left) – Banu Köse(Middle) – Vincent Garitey(Right)

The Horizon for Mechanical Circulatory Support

Filmed at the 2014 STS Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, this roundtable discussion focuses on mechanical circulatory support. John Kern moderates the discussion with Pavan Atluri and Francis Pagani. The panelists discuss mechanical circulatory support, LVAD therapy, and heart transplantation. The discussion concludes with thoughts on the future of mechanical circulatory support.

Source:  CTS

Clinical Engineering Lecture in Beykent University

Lecture

Beykent University Biomedical Engineering Event

I would like to thank the students of the biomedical department of Beykent University for inviting me to their event. It was nice to meet the curious and excited students.

32nd Cardiovascular Surgical Symposium

The meeting will take place from March 22 to 29, 2014 at the Hotel and Conference venue Robinson Select Alpenrose Zürs.

Young residents can attend the Interactive Cardiovascular Course with wetlab facilities.

The main topics in 2014 will be MITRAL AND TRICUSPID VALVE DISEASE ? INTERVENTIONAL AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT ? BASIC RESEARCH AND FREE PAPERS. It should provide leading edge information on current state of the art practice as well as on innovation and research. Presentations of distinguished invited speakers as well as free presentations and posterswill be given. Thus we would like to encourage clinicians and scientists to submit abstracts dealing with the main topics as well as other exciting issues in the field of cardiovascular surgery.

This will be conducted in a very relaxed and special atmosphere of the Arlberg so that all participants can openly exchange opinions and experiences and will contribute to a very attractive meeting.

Tailor-made reconstructions for an individual patient gain more and more importance.

Click here for the symposium web page.

The 14th Annual International Symposium on Congenital Heart Disease

The 14th Annual International Symposium on Congenital Heart Disease will feature a world-class faculty of domestic and international experts in Cardiology, Cardiac Critical Care, Cardiac Surgery, Nursing, Hospital Administration, and Ethics. This year the conference will focus on Diseases of the Cardiac Valves from the Fetus to the Adult. The program will include didactic, case-based, and interactive presentations as well as pathologic heart specimens and practical workshops. Special tracks dedicated to cardiovascular nursing and hospital administration will be included making this a truly team-based symposium.

Click for the Symposium Web Page.

Click for Symposium Document.

10th Congress of the Turkish Society of Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Medicine and 2nd Euro-Asian Critical Care Meeting

Congress Date & Venue
Date: November 27 ? 30, 2013
Venue: Harbiye Military Museum and Cultural Center, ISTANBUL – TURKEY

Registration and Information
Registration and information desks will be open between 07:00 ? 19.00 at the Harbiye Military Museum and Cultural Center.

The official congress language is Turkish. There will be provided simultaneous translation from English to Turkish and vice versa in different halls depending on the scientific program.

Click here for the program and details.

Surgical Planning and 3D Printed Hearts

Alistair Phillips, MD, who is the Co-Chair for the American College of Cardiology, Surgeons Section tells about some of the impacts he has personally experienced using 3D printing in surgical settings as his participation in the 3DHEART program:

“The clinical trial is particularly exciting as it targets specific cases in which understanding of the anatomy will greatly enhance the surgical approach. A 3D printed replica of a patient’s heart will be created as part of the inclusion criteria to be in the study.Using 3D printing gave a better understanding of the Hybrid procedure, and allowed us to perform pulmonary valve replacement with a minimally invasive approach avoiding conventional method that required open-heart surgery. After coming to Cedars-Sinai we refined the pre-ventricular approach by utilizing a 3D printed models of patients’ hearts. We were able to simulate the implant into the right ventricular outflow tract.

Every surgeon is different. The education, experience, aptitudes, and attitude we bring to each equally nuanced and varied patient span an almost limitless spectrum and inform how we may utilize 3D printing for the benefit of our patients. The elegance of 3D printing is that it can create the individualized tools spanning this spectrum.

That said, however, what is not negotiable is the veracity of the models that we are receiving. Various materials and their corresponding colouring or rigidity may serve different functions in the hands of different surgeons, but ultimately we must have the utmost confidence in the fidelity of the models we are utilizing for pre-surgical planning. The more realistic the model is both in anatomical and textural preciousness will greatly enhance the application.

In all honesty, I would advise each hospital to start by really understanding the value proposition 3D printing offers across all specialities and, the culture of their institution. The best way to get answers to these very nebulous, complicated, nuanced directives is by retaining an outside vendor to provide as much of the services as possible, from the proverbial soup to nuts.

The excitement around the 3DHEART clinical trial is so great because it is the first organized, large-scale attempt to collect evidence of the efficacies of 3D printing in the practice of medicine and delivery of healthcare, not only in terms of optimized patient outcomes but also with respect to lower costs. If we can get reimbursement for 3D models, it is without a doubt a game-changer in terms of the practice of medicine, and a life-changer for many of our patients.”

Source

Flow Testing Dynamic Systems with 3D Printed Patient-Specific Heart Models

“Without the 3D printed models, we wouldn’t have been able to come up with a way to do the procedure in advance.”

—C. HUIE LIN, M.D
Adult congenital and interventional cardiologist.

3D Print Bureau of Texas has partnered with physicians at Houston Methodist Hospital to create cardiac models for applications such as assessing the size and attachment site of a right atrial malignancy. Accurate physical replications of patient anatomy can even undergo testing in a dynamic system such as replicating the severity of aortic stenosis using flow testing.

3D Print Bureau of Texas also worked with Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center on a complex case involving a young patient born with a wide-open leaking pulmonary valve. The patient could not take blood transfusions and have been turned down by two medical centres concerned she would not make it through surgery.

With a 3D printed model of the patient’s heart, Lin devised a plan that required very little blood loss, which resulted in a successful operation for the little patient.

Source

10th Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems & Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion Conference

The 10^th International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems & Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion will be held at the Hall of Flags, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, May 28-31, 2014.

Preliminary scientific program is attached for your review.

All abstracts must be submitted online via the conference web site. http://pennstatehershey.org/web/pedscpb/home

Please use the same link for conference registration, hotel room and exhibitor registration.

The scientific program of the 10^th event has special additional features such as Pediatric CPB-ECLS-MCS Wet-labs, Simulations, Hospital Tours & Case presentations for all pre-registered participants.

Important Dates (2013-2014)

DATE                                     EVENTS

December 16, 2013         Conference & Hotel Registration Begins

December 16, 2013         Abstract Submission Begins ? Online Only

March 1, 2014                    Exhibitor Booth Registration Deadline

March 1, 2014                    Final Day for Abstract Submissions

March 7, 2014                    Notification of Accepted Abstracts

April 1, 2014                       Early Registration Ends

April 18, 2014                    Final Day for Manuscript Submissions Being Considered for Conference Awards

April 1-27, 2014                Late Registration

May 28-31, 2014               On-site Registration (Only if Space is Available)

7th Istanbul Symposium of International Society for Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support

6.Istanbul Symposium: The Progresses and Conclusions on The Life Support Systems in Turkey /2013

The International Society for Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support organized 6.Istanbul Symposium: The Proggresses and Conclucions on The Life support Systems in Turkey /2013 Dr. Siyami Ersek Chest & Cardiovascular Surgery Training & Research Hospital.

Click for comitee members, speakers and panel topics.

All partipiants had a sertificate and the english translation of Aydın Aytaç’s book named Life Dedicated to The Heart.

I specially thank Atıf Akçevin for his advises and supports to my research topic and of course Kerem Pekkan and Ahmet Şaşmezel for their kind favors.

5th ISTANBUL SYMPOSIUM: BIOENGINEERING APPROACHES ON PEDIATRIC CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE

Scientific Co-Chairs are Kerem Pekkan, PhD & Akif Ündar, PhD

Invitation to Attend

The 5th Istanbul Symposium is intended for medical and engineering students, nurses,
scientists, pediatric heart surgeons, engineers, cardiologists, intensivists, neonatologists,
anesthesiologists, neurologists, pediatric perfusionists, respiratory therapists, residents
and fellows. All are invited and encouraged to attend.

Koç University, Engineering Auditorium ( Mühendislik Oditoryumu ) / 19 April 2013

European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 / Amsterdam

• The new translational initiative ‘Science in Practice’ will provide clinicians with insights on where the field is going in the future and basic scientists with a critically important context for future work.
• General practitioners, nurses and other allied professionals: reduced fee to participate in the general cardiology update programme on Saturday 31 August as an introduction to the ESC Congress 2013.
• For the first time delegates will be able to follow the ?Guidelines into Practice (GIP)? track ,  designed to support cardiologists in the implementation of the Guidelines in their daily practice.

Click for Congress Home Page

International Symposium on Endovascular Therapeutics / Barcelona

Wireless device powers implanted blood-pressure sensor, eliminating batteries

Researchers at A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics in Singapore are developing a prototype wireless device that powers an implanted blood-pressure sensor, eliminating the need to recharge or replace a battery.

The microscale electronic sensor monitors blood flow through artificial blood vessels. Surgeons use these prosthetic grafts to bypass diseased or clogged blood vessels in patients experiencing restricted blood supply, for example.

Over time, however, the graft can also become blocked. To avoid complete failure, blood flow through the graft must be monitored regularly, but existing techniques are slow and costly.

Monitoring blood flow rate inside prosthetic vascular grafts enables early detection of graft degradation and prevention of graft failure.

The implant is powered by a handheld external reader, which uses inductive coupling to wirelessly transfer energy. The team developed an ultralow-power application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for the implant designed for low-power (21.6 ?W) use.

The sensors are based on piezoresistive silicon nanowires. As blood flows over the sensor, the associated mechanical stresses induce a measurable increase in electrical resistance, proportional to the flow pressure.

?Our flow sensor system achieves an ultra-low power consumption of 12.6 microwatts,? said A*STAR?s Jia Hao Cheong, who heads the project. To achieve that the sensor transmits its data to the handheld reader passively, by backscattering some of the incoming energy. ?We have tested our system with 50-millimeter-thick tissue between the external coil and implantable coil, and it successfully extracted the pressure data from the implantable device.?

?The next step of the project is to integrate the system and embed it inside a graft for an experimental animal,? Cheong said.

Source: http://www.kurzweilai.net

Researchers show how blood vessels regroup after stroke

Growth factors released by oxygen-starved cells prompt nearby endothelial cells, which line blood vessels, to grow into new networks. Researchers at Rice University are working to understand how to direct the process in the brains of stroke and disease patients. Credit: Qutub Lab/Rice University Rice scientists simulate “robot” cells to study the development of microvascular systems in the brain. The goal is to find a way to direct the development of vessels that feed oxygen-starved cells in stroke and neurodegenerative disease patients.

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-blood-vessels-regroup.html#jCp

5th ISTANBUL SYMPOSIUM: BIOENGINEERING APPROACHES ON PEDIATRIC CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE

5th ISTANBUL SYMPOSIUM: BIOENGINEERING APPROACHES ON PEDIATRIC CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE – Koç University, Sevgi Gönül Auditorium – 21 December 2012

Scientific Co-Chairs are Kerem Pekkan, PhD & Akif Ündar, PhD

Invitation to Attend

The 5th Istanbul Symposium is intended for medical and engineering students, nurses,
scientists, pediatric heart surgeons, engineers, cardiologists, intensivists, neonatologists,
anesthesiologists, neurologists, pediatric perfusionists, respiratory therapists, residents
and fellows. All are invited and encouraged to attend.

Invited Faculty

Mehmet A. Ağırbaşlı, MD Dept. of Cardiology, Marmara University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Atıf Akçevin, MD Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medipol University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Tijen Alkan-Bozkaya, MD Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medipol University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Ihsan Bakır, MD Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular
Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye
Hakan Ceyran, MD Istanbul Koşuyolu Heart Hospital, Cardiovascular Surgery,
Istanbul, Türkiye
Sertaç Haydın, MD Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular
Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye
Ender Ödemiş, MD Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular
Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye
Kerem Pekkan, PhD Şevket Ruacan, MD, Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering, Koc University, Istanbul,
Türkiye
Dean, College of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Ayda Türköz, MD Başkent University, Department of Anethesiology, Istanbul,
Türkiye
Rıza Türköz, MD Başkent University, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery,
Istanbul, Türkiye
Akif Ündar, PhD Penn State Hershey Pediatric Cardiovascular Research
Center, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Penn State
Hershey Children’s Hospital, Hershey, PA, USA
Songül Yaşar Yıldız, PhD Candidate Dept. of Bioengineeering, Marmara University,
Istanbul, Türkiye)
TBA (Koç University, School of Nursing, Istanbul, Türkiye

3
SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM
9:00 ? 9:20 am Welcome ? Kerem Pekkan, PhD& Şevket Ruacan, MD, Dean, College of Medicine, Koç University,
Istanbul, Türkiye
9:20 ? 10:00 am ABC’s of Pediatric Cardiovascular Research for Medical and
Engineering Students
Akif Ündar, PhD ? Penn State Hershey Pediatric Cardiovascular
Research Center, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Penn
State Hershey Children’s Hospital, Hershey, PA, USA
10:00 ? 11:00 am Key Note Lecture – Applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics to
solve pediatric cardiovascular problems
Kerem Pekkan, PhD, (Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering, Koc
University, Istanbul, Türkiye)
Introduction: Akif Ündar, PhD
11:00 ? 11: 15 am Break
11:15 am ? Noon CASE STUDY: Novel fenestration designs for controlled venous flow
shunting in failing Fontans with systemic hypertension
Cardiac Surgeon: Definition of the problem – Rıza Türköz, MD
(Başkent University, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Istanbul,
Türkiye)
Scientist: Suggested Solution – Kerem Pekkan, PhD
12:00 ? 13:30 pm Lunch
13:30 ? 14:00 pm What are the "real" problems for pediatric cardiac patients in
Türkiye? Why multi-disciplinary approach is necessity, not an option?
Atıf Akçevin, MD (Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medipol
University, Istanbul)
14:00 ? 15:30 pm PANEL: Importance of Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Improve
the Outcomes During and After Neonatal and Pediatric
Cardiopulmonary Bypass Procedures in Türkiye
Moderators: Atıf Akçevin, MD and Ihsan Bakır, MD

4
Pediatric Cardiologists’ Perspective – Ender Ödemiş, MD (Istanbul
Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and
Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye) (20 min)
Pediatric Cardiac Surgeons’ Perspective – Hakan Ceyran, MD (Istanbul
Koşuyolu Heart Hospital, Cardiovascular Surgery, Istanbul, Türkiye)
(20 min)
Pediatric Anesthesiologists’ Perspective – Ayda Türköz, MD (Başkent University, Department of Anethesiology, Istanbul, Türkiye)
(20 min)
Pediatric Nurses’ Perspective – TBA (Koç University, School of Nursing, Istanbul, Türkiye (20 min)
15:30 ? 16:00pm Break
16:00 ? 18:00pm PANEL: Pediatric ECLS Systems & Novel Techniques and Methods to
Minimize the Injury during neonatal/Pediatric Cardiopulmonary
Bypass Procedures
Moderators: Hakan Ceyran, MD and Rıza Türköz, MD
Pediatric Extracorporeal Life Support Systems in Türkiye ? 2012
Update –
Sertaç Haydın, MD (Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and
Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul,
Türkiye)
Monitoring Biomarkers After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: A New
Paradigm in the Horizon, Mehmet A. Ağırbaşlı, MD (Dept. of
Cardiology, Marmara University, Istanbul, Türkiye)
Extremophiles for cardiovascular research – Songül Yaşar Yıldız, PhD
Candidate (Dept. of Bioengineeering, Marmara University, Istanbul,
Türkiye)
Impact of Pulsatile Perfusion on Clinical Outcomes of Neonates and
infants with Complex Pathologies undergoing Cardiopulmonary
Bypass Procedures ?
Tijen Alkan-Bozkaya, MD (Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medipol
University, Istanbul)

5
Importance of Neonatal/Pediatric oxygenators with or without
Arterial Filters for capturing microemboli during CPB procedures –
Akif Ündar, PhD
18:00pm Closing Remarks – Kerem Pekkan, PhD

A Primer on Computational Simulation in Congenital Heart Disease for the Clinician

Interest in the application of engineering methods to problems in congenital heart disease has
gained increased popularity over the past decade. The use of computational simulation to
examine common clinical problems including single ventricle physiology and the associated
surgical approaches, the effects of pacemaker implantation on vascular occlusion, or
delineation of the biomechanical effects of implanted medical devices is now routinely
appearing in clinical journals within all pediatric cardiovascular subspecialties. In practice,
such collaboration can only work if both communities understand each other?s methods and
their limitations. This paper is intended to facilitate this communication by presenting in the
context of congenital heart disease (CHD) the main steps involved in performing
computational simulation – from the selection of an appropriate clinical question/problem to
understanding the computational results, and all of the ?black boxes? in between.

More

Handmade Glass Anatomical Models by Farlow’s Scientific Glassblowing

Gary Farlow can make art out of arteries. He and his team of 10 at Farlow?s Scientific Glassblowing are able to transform the body?s vasculature?and nearly all of its other parts?into an ornate borosilicate glass sculpture, from the heart?s ventricles to the brain?s circle of Willis. ?We do almost every part of the body,? Farlow says. ?It can take a pretty artistic mind to make some of these things.? With the help of cardiologists, the team creates custom see-through systems for science and medical training.

Their anatomically correct models can be designed to simulate blood flow, teach placement of catheters and angioplasty devices, or simply test or demo new surgical gizmos. Individual arteries, veins, and capillaries are shaped and fused together, one at a time. Ground-glass joints are added at the exposed ends so a head, say, can be connected to the carotid arteries should customers want to expand their model. A full-body setup could cost $25,000, so don?t get any bright ideas about using one as a brandy decanter.

4th Istanbul Symposium of Pediatric Life Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmoner Bypass:The Last Advances in 2012

4th Istanbul Symposium of Pediatric Life Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmoner Bypass:The Last Advances in 2012 hold on Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital.

4th Istanbul Symposium: Pediatric Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Bypass

The 4th Pediatric Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary

Bypass Symposium will be held on 28th July 2012

at Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy

Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital.

.

Engineered microvessels provide 3-D test bed for human diseases

University of Washington bioengineers have developed the first structure to grow small human blood vessels, creating a 3-D test bed that offers a better way to study disease, test drugs and perhaps someday grow human tissues for transplant.

?In clinical research you just draw a blood sample,? said first author Ying Zheng, a UW research assistant professor of bioengineering. ?But with this, we can really dissect what happens at the interface between the blood and the tissue. We can start to look at how these diseases start to progress and develop efficient therapies.?

Zheng first built the structure out of the body?s most abundant protein, collagen, while working as a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University. She created tiny channels and injected this honeycomb with human endothelial cells, which line human blood vessels.

During a period of two weeks, the endothelial cells grew throughout the structure and formed tubes through the mold?s rectangular channels, just as they do in the human body.

When brain cells were injected into the surrounding gel, the cells released chemicals that prompted the engineered vessels to sprout new branches, extending the network. A similar system could supply blood to engineered tissue before transplant into the body.

After joining the UW last year, Zheng collaborated with the Puget Sound Blood Center to see how this research platform would work to transport real blood.

Microfluidic vessel networks (credit: Y. Zheng et al./PNAS)

The engineered vessels could transport human blood smoothly, even around corners. And when treated with an inflammatory compound, the vessels developed clots, similar to what real vessels do when they become inflamed.

The system also shows promise as a model for tumor progression. Cancer begins as a hard tumor but secretes chemicals that cause nearby vessels to bulge and then sprout. Eventually tumor cells use these blood vessels to penetrate the bloodstream and colonize new parts of the body.

When the researchers added to their system a signaling protein for vessel growth that?s overabundant in cancer and other diseases, new blood vessels sprouted from the originals. These new vessels were leaky, just as they are in human cancers.

?With this system we can dissect out each component or we can put them together to look at a complex problem. We can isolate the biophysical, biochemical or cellular components. How do endothelial cells respond to blood flow or to different chemicals, how do the endothelial cells interact with their surroundings, and how do these interactions affect the vessels? barrier function? We have a lot of degrees of freedom?,? Zheng said.

The system could also be used to study malaria, which becomes fatal when diseased blood cells stick to the vessel walls and block small openings, cutting off blood supply to the brain, placenta or other vital organs.

?I think this is a tremendous system for studying how blood clots form on vessels walls, how the vessel responds to shear stress and other mechanical and chemical factors, and for studying the many diseases that affect small blood vessels,? said co-author Dr. José López, a professor of biochemistry and hematology at UW Medicine and chief scientific officer at the Puget Sound Blood Center.

Future work will use the system to further explore blood vessel interactions that involve inflammation and clotting. Zheng is also pursuing tissue engineering as a member of the UW?s Center for Cardiovascular Biology and the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine.

Ref.: Ying Zheng et al., In vitro microvessels for the study of angiogenesis and thrombosis, PNAS, May 29, 2012

Source

No more needles: new device images blood flow non-invasively

Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) researchers have developed a device that provides high-resolution images of red and white blood cells in vivo and does an instant diagnosis ? simply by shining a light on the skin.

By eliminating the long wait time for blood test results, the new microscope might help spotlight warning signs, like high white blood cell count, before a patient develops severe medical problems. The portability of the device could also enable doctors in rural areas without easy access to medical labs to screen large populations for common blood disorders.

As a test, the researchers imaged the blood flowing through a vessel in the lower lip of a volunteer. They successfully measured the average diameter of the red and white blood cells and also calculated the percent volume of the different cell types, a key measurement for many medical diagnoses.
The device relies on a technique called spectrally encoded confocal microscopy (SECM), which creates images by splitting a light beam into a spectrum ? a line from red to violet. To scan blood cells in motion, a compact probe is pressed against the skin of a patient and the rainbow-like line of light is directed across a blood vessel near the surface of the skin.

The blood cells scatter light, which is collected and analyzed. The color of the scattered light carries spatial information, and computer programs interpret the signal to create images of the blood cells at subcellular resolution (.7 micron lateral. 1.5 micron axial).

Currently, other blood-scanning systems with similar resolution exist, but they are far less practical, relying on bulky equipment or potentially harmful fluorescent dyes that must be injected into the bloodstream.

?An important feature of the technique is its reliance on reflected light from the flowing cells to form their images, thus avoiding the use of fluorescent dyes that could be toxic,? says Lior Golan, a graduate student in the Technion biomedical engineering department. ?Since the blood cells are in constant motion, their appearance is distinctively different from the static tissue surrounding them.?

The researchers are working on a second-generation system with higher penetration depth. It might expand the range of possible imaging sites beyond the inside lip, which was selected as a test site since it it?s rich in blood vessels, has no pigment to block light, and doesn?t lose blood in trauma patients.

?Currently, the probe is a bench-top laboratory version about the size of a small shoebox,? says Golan. ?We hope to have a thumb-size prototype within the next year.?

Source

Large-Scale Simulation of Human Blood Is Boon to Personalized Medicine

Having a virtual copy of a patient’s blood in a computer would be a boon to researchers and doctors. They could examine a simulated heart attack caused by blood clotting in a diseased coronary artery and see if a drug like aspirin would be effective in reducing the size of such a clot.

“Blood platelets are like computers in that they integrate many signals and make a complex decision of what to do,” said senior author Scott Diamond, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. “We were interested to learn if we could make enough measurements in the lab to detect the small differences that make each of us unique. It would be impossible to do this with the cells of the liver, heart or brain. But we can easily obtain a tube of blood from each donor and run tests of platelet calcium release.”

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Cardiopulmonary Perfusion 8th International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems & Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion

Cardiopulmonary Perfusion 8th International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems & Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion will be held JUNE 13-16, 2012, GALATASARAY UNIVERSITY, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Seminars 24th January

Biomedical Engineering Seminars’ speaker was  Kamuran KADIPAŞAOĞLU and this  has been the most incentive part of these meetings.

Image Source: Bahcesehir University