External counterpulsation is a noninvasive method of applying external pressures to vascular beds of the lower extremities synchronous with the cardiac cycle. Numerous animal experiments and a number of clinical trials have been conducted over the years in patients with various forms of cardiac disease to evaluate the effectiveness of external counterpulsation. The external counterpulsation machines (known as ECP and EECP machines) are currently widely available for use in the treatment of angina by applying positive pressure to the lower extremities during cardiac diastole to increase coronary flow. External counterpulsation has also been shown to be capable of perfusing the ischemic myocardium following an AMI and of assisting the failing left ventricle in patients with CHF. In these applications, positive pressure is applied externally to the lower extremities during cardiac diastole and negative pressure during cardiac systole so as to increase coronary flow and reduce the work of the heart. This paper provides a review of the developments in the area of external counterpulsation and the related devices. The paper also reviews the experimental evidence that provides the scientific basis for the design of a device now under development and called external left ventricular assist device (XLVAD) that should provide effective support of the left ventricle of a patient in congestive heart failure or following an AMI. The evolutionary development of the external counterpulsation devices into the XLVAD is presented in detail. The clinical and mechanical advantages as well as the shortcomings of each device are described.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Design Of Medical Devices Conference Abstracts
The Evolution of the External Left Ventricular Assist Device
Jahangir Rastegar
Jahangir Rastegar
Omnitek Partners, LLC
Search for other works by this author on:
Harry Soroff
Stony Brook University
Jahangir Rastegar
Omnitek Partners, LLC
J. Med. Devices. Jun 2010, 4(2): 027511 (1 pages)
Published Online: August 9, 2010
Article history
Online:
August 9, 2010
Published:
August 9, 2010
Citation
Soroff, H., and Rastegar, J. (August 9, 2010). "The Evolution of the External Left Ventricular Assist Device." ASME. J. Med. Devices. June 2010; 4(2): 027511. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3442755
Download citation file:
630
Views
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
Related Articles
Automatic Vibrotactile Device for Interruption of Apnea in Premature Infants
J. Med. Devices (June,2010)
Evolution of a Non-Invasive Method for Providing Assistance to the Heart
J. Med. Devices (June,2009)
Design Optimization of Single-Port Minimally Invasive Intervention Devices
J. Med. Devices (June,2009)
Early Stage Economic Evaluation with a Small Medical Device Start-Up Company Using a Markov Model
J. Med. Devices (June,2011)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Introduction
Modified Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (mDFA)
Occlusion Identification and Relief within Branched Structures
Biomedical Applications of Vibration and Acoustics in Therapy, Bioeffect and Modeling
Experimental Studies
Nanoparticles and Brain Tumor Treatment