New cardiac vest under development
Researchers at Haifa, Israel-based Technion, a research organization affiliated with the University of Tel Aviv, are developing a system they say can replace the need for implantable cardiac assist devices and intra-aortal balloon catheters.
The system consists of an electronically controlled vest that surrounds the patient’s chest. In the cardiac resuscitation mode, the rate and magnitude of pressure pulses are dictated by the control device. But in the cardiac assist mode, the system senses signals from an EKG and adjusts its pulse duration and frequency appropriately.
The main applications for the vest will be to provide emergency assistance after a myocardial infarction, after surgery or angioplasty, and in the improvement of blood flow to the brain and heart during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The new system is noninvasive and can be used by nonspecialists.
S. Lewis Meyer, CEO, Imatron Inc., San Francisco. Telephone: (415) 583-9964.
Alan Guerci, MD, Director of Research, St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, NY. Telephone: (516) 562-6798.
Larry Peters, Executive Director, LifeTech Cardiac Imaging, Atlanta. Telephone: (770) 730-0119.
Laurie Givens, RTR, Lead CT Technologist, HeartScan Imaging, Pittsburgh. Telephone: (412) 683-5580.
Carol Turner, RN, Vice President, Clinical and Information Services, Middletown (OH) Regional Hospital. Telephone: (513) 424-2111.
Jenny Stoops, Director of Quality Management, Middletown (OH) Regional Hospital. Telephone: (513) 424-2111.
Eric J. Eichhorn, MD, FACC, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Dallas VA Hospital. Telephone: (214) 372-7904. Fax: (214) 302-7437.
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