March 8, 2024 — Texas Heart Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), North Carolina State University (NC State University), and Rice University collaborate to develop left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as an alternative treatment option To do. Heart transplantation and long-term support for end-stage heart failure. This research was funded by a four-year, $7.8 million grant awarded to Georgia Tech from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Congressional Medical Research Program (CDMRP) to develop minimally invasive treatment techniques related to cardiovascular disease. It is being said. Accompanied by cardiomyopathy. Texas Heart Institute will receive approximately $2.94 million from this award to fund its role in research activities.

Nearly 7 million people in the United States suffer from heart failure, and approximately 400,000 people die each year related to heart failure. Heart failure patients often experience decreased exercise capacity, quality of life, and ability to work. The disease also poses a significant burden to public health. Heart failure is a disease that gradually worsens, and there are no effective drugs to treat end-stage heart failure. Heart transplantation is the only option for many patients, but options are severely limited by the limited number of donor hearts available. As an alternative treatment option, LVAD heart pumps are implanted to help maintain blood circulation in the body of patients with end-stage heart failure.

However, LVAD implantation also has drawbacks. Complications include infection, blood clotting (thrombosis), stroke, and hemorrhage. Many of these problems are related to blood damage caused by the implanted device and must be treated by invasive surgery. Additionally, his current LVAD uses a driveline placed through the skin (i.e., transcutaneously) to power the device. These drivelines can cause infection and may require readmission to the hospital or additional surgery. Even in the absence of infection, drivelines significantly reduce patient mobility and reduce quality of life.

The goal of the new research project is to address some of these shortcomings associated with current LVADs and make LVAD treatment more effective and less invasive. The collaborators propose improvements in device design that reduce driveline complications such as blood damage, clot formation, infection and movement limitations. The researchers will utilize a multidisciplinary approach involving four research groups with complementary technical expertise and a panel of cardiologists from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The team will achieve their goals through a combination of innovative engineering designs, antithrombotic slippery hydrophilic (SLIC) coatings, wireless power transfer systems, magnetic levitation drive systems, and preclinical device testing.

The overall effort will be led by principal investigator Lakshmi P. Dasi, Ph.D., Professor Rozelle Vanda Wesley of the Wallace H. Coulter School of Biomedical Engineering, and director of the Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Georgia Tech. He is an expert in artificial heart valves, cardiovascular biomechanics, biomaterials and devices. Dr. Dashi’s group uses computer simulations to redesign LVAD components to reduce the risk of blood damage and clotting. Blood clots often form where the blood enters his LVAD. This is because blood flow in the LVAD slows down and becomes blocked (called congestion). The new flexible stented blood inlet conforms to the shape of the patient’s heart, preventing flow stagnation and clotting. The stent material promotes the proliferation of the patient’s own endothelial cells into the entrance, further reducing the risk of blood clot formation. The researchers also plan to design a unique flexible rotor and casing to reduce blood damage.

Dr. Arun Kumar Kota, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University, is an expert in bioinspired biocompatible surfaces and biomaterials science. Dr. Kota’s research group uses a new slippery SLIC coating based on an ice-like hydration layer to reduce friction between blood and his LVAD components and prevent blood clot formation. The coating should prevent blood proteins involved in the clotting process from adhering to the coated surface, further reducing the risk of clotting. This coating will be applied to the more blood-compatible impeller rotor of his LVAD pump, which is currently being designed by Dr. Dashi’s group.

Dr. Joseph R. Cavallaro is a professor in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Rice University, and is an expert in very large scale integrated circuit (VLSI) system design and signal processing, wireless communications, and computer engineering systems. To eliminate the need for a driveline that penetrates the skin, Dr. Cavallaro’s group plans to develop an external power source, a wearable rechargeable battery, and a transmitter that will wirelessly power the implanted pump. . The system also includes a communication link for the centrifugal pump to provide feedback to the external power system.

Co-investigator Mehdi Razavi, MD, is a clinical electrophysiologist and Director of Electrophysiology Clinical Research and Innovation at the Texas Heart Institute and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University. There is also. He and his team will work with Dr. Cavallaro’s group to develop computer algorithms to monitor the heart’s electrical conduction and modify the operation of the LVAD pump as needed.

Dr. OH Frazier is the Director of the Preclinical Surgical and Interventional Research Center at the Texas Heart Institute and a cardiac surgeon who has made groundbreaking contributions to the field of mechanical circulatory support and treatment of patients with heart failure. Dr. Frazier and her group, including co-investigator Yaxin Wang, Ph.D., director of the Texas Heart Institute’s Innovative Devices and Engineering Applications (IDEA) Laboratory, and her group have developed a new LVAD drive system with magnetic levitation bearings. We plan to design and evaluate it. The non-contact bearing system reduces the risk of blood clotting and blood damage. The group will test the entire SLIC LVAD system, developed by a large collaborative team, in laboratory bench-based blood flow loops and preclinical models to measure the hemocompatibility and overall performance of the LVAD.

Once completed and evaluated for use in patients through clinical trials and the regulatory approval process, this new LVAD has the potential to provide a less invasive form of long-term support for patients with heart failure, including military and veterans. , which could benefit the general public. SLIC LVADs also have the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for patients who require circulatory support. Importantly, many of the innovative technologies developed during the project, such as wireless power transmission in medical devices and coatings to prevent blood clotting, can be applied to other applications.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Texas Heart Institute,” said Joseph G. Rogers, M.D., a heart failure specialist and president and CEO of the Texas Heart Institute. This award will accelerate the development and testing of his SLIC LVAD, a device aimed at providing an option to vulnerable patient populations, and will be in the arsenal of heart failure teams around the world. ”

This research was supported by the Department of Defense approved Department of Defense Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs through a Concentrated Program Award under the Department of Defense Health Program, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program, Award. received. Number HT94252310663. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs or the Department of Defense.

For more information, please visit www.wtexasheart.org.