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Ann Thorac Surg 2000;69:976
© 2000 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Correspondence

Flexible input cannula in ventricular assist device

^a Hospital de la Princesa, Facultad de Ciencias, C/Senda del Rey s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
^b Hospital General Universitario, Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
^c Physics Department, UNED, Madrid, Spain

To the Editor

We have read with great interest the paper by Hetzer and associates [1] on a ventricular assist device for infants and children. They point out that "the interposition of a flexible polyurethane reservoir into the inflow limb of the small pumps has satisfactorily helped sufficient filling of the pump chamber which may otherwise be impaired in cases of high suction pressure" [2].

We believe that Hetzer and associates must remember a meeting in Aachen, in April 19, 1991, in the Concerted Action HEART, where our group presented a new inlet cannula for our ventricular assist device. In that meeting, we showed the improvements in ventricular assist devices due to the implementation of a false auricle, which is flexible. Our results were that the efficiency percent increased up to 20% with the flexible input cannula compared with the rigid one. The input pressure was always positive with the false auricle, whereas it presented periods of time with negative values in the case of the rigid cannulae [3]. Later on, we published those results in Artificial Organs [4], and a full study was published later in the International Journal of Artificial Organs. [5]

It was really surprising for us that it was not cited in the paper by Hetzer and associates.

References

1. Hetzer R., Loebe M., Potapov E.V., et al. Circulatory support with pneumatic paracorporeal ventricular assist device in infants and children. Ann Thorac Surg 1998;66:1498-1506.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Ishino K., Loebe M., Uhlemann F., Weng Y., Henning E., Hetzer R. Circulatory support with paracorporeal pneumatic ventricular assist device (VAD) in infants and children. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 1997;11:965-972.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
3. Del Cañizo J.F., Desco M.M., Alvarez-Valdivielso J.M., et al. Comparative in vitro testing of two BCM ventricular assisted devices. In: Reul H., ed. In Vitro Testing of Blood Pumps. Aachen, Germany: Concerted Action HEART, 1991.
4. Antoranz J.C., Rubio M.A., Duarte J., et al. Improvement of the hydrodynamic response of a ventricular assist device (VAD). Artificial Organs 1992;16:301-305.[Medline]
5. Antoranz J.C., Del Cañizo J.F., Desco M.M. Hydrodynamic response of a VAD with a compliant cannula. Int J Artificial Organs 1994;17:635-642.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Duarte, J. Articles by Antoranz, J. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Duarte, J. Articles by Antoranz, J. C.