Electrical properties of cardiac muscles following ventricular assist device implantation

• Grant number: 13/24544-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: January 01, 2014
• End date: November 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Bioengineering
• Principal Investigator: Idágene Aparecida Cestari
• Grantee: Douglas Martins Veronez
• Host Institution: Instituto do Coração Professor Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini (INCOR). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/50283-6 - Circulatory support in pediatric patients: ventricular assist device and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, AP.TEM

Abstract

Heart diseases are the leading cause of death in Brazil and worldwide. Heart Failure (HF) is the last stage of various cardiomyopathies that affect the heart's blood pumping ability. In most cases, the HF treatment is pharmacological and heart transplantation remains the only definitive treatment for patients refractory to this therapy. However, the number of donor hearts adequate for transplantation is insufficient for all patients in the waiting list. The Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) have been used as a treatment option and circulatory support in patients with HF waiting heart transplantation. In some cases the use of VADs as a bridge to transplantation resulted in myocardial recovery followed by explanation of the device, which may delay or eliminate the need for transplantation. This recovery is associated with what is commonly called reverse remodeling of HF. However, the reverse remodeling process is poorly understood. This project aims to investigate the electrical changes in the heart muscle induced by reverse remodeling of heart failure after the use of the pediatric Incor VAD. Electrical potentials from layers of tissue and isolated ventricular myocytes will be recorded by array of microelectrodes and radiometric fluorescence. Samples will be obtained from the left ventricle of hearts of experimental animals in which circulatory support was maintained for prolonged periods with the pediatric Incor VAD. The methodology will be applied to the study of myocardial samples obtained from pediatric hearts undergoing cardiac assist with the InCor pediatric VAD. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

VERONEZ, Douglas Martins. Automated system for electrical stimulation and evaluation of intracellular calcium dynamics in induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes.. 2018. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP/BC) São Paulo.