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A matter of the heart.

Discovering opportunities in China’s cardiovascular market.

Improving outcomes and expanding indications with Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).

Community-based cardiac rehabilitation in Singapore.

The gift of life: 50 years of human heart transplant.

Artificial heart and ventricular assist devices were widely used in clinical as a therapy method to assist the severe heart failure patients. Unfortunately direct contact between the device and the patient's blood, thromboembolic events, the need for anticoagulation and infections contribute significantly to complication and mortality. Compressing the dysfunctional heart from its epicardial surface, non-blood contacting method of direct mechanical ventricular actuator compression system could provide ventricular support, pulsatile blood flow and avoid the interactions between blood and surface of artificial assistance system. We have developed an ElectroHydraulic Artificial Myocardial (EHAM) assist system that might be assist the heart muscle contraction. The purpose of this study was to determine if the EHAM system efficiency to hemodynamic parameters and myocardial tissue perfusion during its compressing in acute animal experiment. Eight adult goats were performed as acute experiments. Hemodynamic parameters were continuous monitored including ECG, aortic blood pressure, left ventricular pressure and pulmonary artery pressure. Myocardial tissue perfusion was measured by using Omega flow laser fiber attaching on the surface of the heart. The results showed that all the animals achieved significant increasing the blood pressure, pulmonary artery flow and myocardial tissue perfusion during the EHAM compressing compared with non-driving (pre-assisted) mode. In conclusions: EHAM system devices can effectively improves the myocardial tissue perfusion and increases the pressure thus having a potential for failing cardiac treatment.