re: my money's where your mouth is. Shultz and others who may be misled by that wacko syringe and his posting.
I dont actually angage in stupid pssing contests as syringe wants to do. For the record, I am not currently long in VCR. I have been at times and it has been a very good stock for me. I will go long again when I think it is appropriate, not when some wacko dares me to.
I have noticed the misleading information posted by syringe, and find it annoying as have others.
Please note that the date of syringes latest research was March 13, 2002. That seems to me to be over two years ago for such an apparent critical hot topic.
In any case, below is a link that explains a bit about what ventricular suckdown is. The link is dated November 28, 2003. It refers to a different device, a Thortec one, but serves to ensure that there is no mystery as to what ventricular suckdown is.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03332/244872.stm
The text from the link is attached at the bottom of my post.
Ventricular suckdown is associated with the automatic control adjustment of the venticular pump to match the exertion levels of the implantee . Copied from the article below:
"Adjusting the flow of blood is important, however, because if the flow is too low, the patient will have trouble with physical exertion. But if the flow is too high, it can suck too much blood from the heart, causing tissue and blood damage, said Antaki, who as of July 1 is also a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University."
The VCR device of course has such an automatic control as part of the device.
Copied from the VCR website:
"Automatic regulation of pump output, based on varying levels of patient activity"
Obviously the correct and optimal design and functioning of this automatic control device is a key target of the process during the design stage and of course this is to be tested, monitored and confirmed and if necessary modified during the field trials stage.
There may even be something they have modified in the VCR device, I dont know since I am not an insider.
I would be surprised if there was not. That is one of the purposes of the trials.
What is most interesting, is the fact that syringe seems to key in on a specific design area of the device. It seems to suggest that there is something more to his involvement with the industry and possibly other companies in the industry that are closely watching the VCR trials. It would seem to me, to be a confirmation than he has motivations different to those of a normal investor.
This section copied from the Vetracor website
VentrAssist™ LVAS
VentrAssist™ is a leading third generation implantable Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) designed as affordable long-term therapy for congestive heart failure patients.
The VentrAssist™’s principal design feature is one moving part, a patented hydrodynamically suspended impeller. There is no wear and tear and accordingly there is potential for unlimited life. This is the primary difference between the VentrAssist™ LVAS and many other devices.
Pre-clinical tests have shown that the unique VentrAssist™ LVAS achieves clinically insignificant blood damage or clotting.
The lightweight and small size of the VentrAssist™ LVAS device enables it to be used in both children and adults, as it is possible to place the device in either the thoracic cavity or preperitoneal space.
The VentrAssist™ LVAS has the potential to become as commonplace and reliable as pacemakers.
Specifically, there is :
Low potential for thrombosis due to the elimination of stasis
No bearing friction means no localised heating.
Preliminary studies indicate:
Little to no antiplatelet agents may be required
Extremely low blood damage in animal trials.
Design features of the VentrAssist™ device:
Small and lightweight
Hermetically sealed implantable pump housing
Thin percutaneous lead with low infection risk
Automatic regulation of pump output, based on varying levels of patient activity
Highly efficient mechanical and electrical design resulting in fewer battery changes
Implant procedure no more difficult than conventional open-heart surgery
This is the copy of the link I gave above to explain simply some aspects of venticular suckdown.
Heart helps new ventricular pump do its job
Friday, November 28, 2003
By Byron Spice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Doctors are increasingly using heart pumps, called left ventricular assist devices, to keep patients with weak hearts alive. The pumps relieve hearts of much of their pumping effort, but a new model now undergoing human tests also is receiving some help from the heart in return.
The heart serves as a sensor for the HeartMate II, enabling the device to automatically adjust its pumping to match the patient's level of physical exertion.
"The body is a hostile environment, so we try to avoid using [electronic] sensors," explained James Antaki, a University of Pittsburgh bioengineer who developed the artificial intelligence system that controls the device.
By monitoring how hard the heart is beating, the device can figure out whether the patient is resting or climbing stairs and adjust the flow of blood accordingly.
The device is now undergoing U.S. clinical trials. Surgeons at the Texas Heart Institute led by Dr. Bud Frazier have implanted the device in an 18-year-old man suffering from heart failure, the pump's maker, Thoratec Corp., announced this month.
Three other centers, including the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, are participating in that clinical trial, which will involve seven patients who are candidates for heart transplantation.
Left ventricular assist devices have long been used as a so-called "bridge to transplant," though they also are increasingly used to help patients as they recover from a heart attack or heart surgery.
The latest use is as a permanent implant for people whose hearts are failing but who aren't candidates for heart transplants.
Dr. Robert Kormos, director of UPMC's artificial heart and thoracic transplant programs, said the HeartMate II's ability to work with the heart, rather than overpowering it, may be particularly well-suited for aiding the recovery of the heart. It also may have advantages for long-term use, he added.
Antaki and Kormos have played key roles in refining the device, beginning in the early 1990s when it was being developed by Nimbus Inc. Nimbus was acquired by Themo Cardiosystems Inc. in 1996, which merged with Thoratec in 2001.
The Nimbus pump was different from previous devices, which pumped blood in pulses, much like the heart itself. The Nimbus device, by contrast, was a compact electric turbine the size of a D-cell battery.
The small size of the device means it is easier to implant and can fit inside smaller patients than practical with existing pumps. Less surgery and smaller size could help reduce infection rates, which have been a concern with heart pumps, Kormos said.
Because the turbine produces a steady flow of blood, patients who have the device implanted will not have normal blood pressures, which are measured during the pulse of the heart and between pulses, resulting in two numbers -- the systolic/diastolic pressure readings, such as 120/80.
With the pump in place, the heart is still beating, but the constant flow of blood through the turbine causes the patient to have a constant blood pressure reading.
Adjusting the flow of blood is important, however, because if the flow is too low, the patient will have trouble with physical exertion. But if the flow is too high, it can suck too much blood from the heart, causing tissue and blood damage, said Antaki, who as of July 1 is also a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University.
Rather than rely on an electronic sensor that is subject to failure, Antaki designed a software program that monitors the electrical current and voltage drawn by the pump. The pump is located downstream from the heart, so as the heart begins to work harder in response to patient demands, the electrical pump doesn't have to work as hard to maintain blood flow. This, in turn, reduces the amount of power drawn by the pump.
The software can use this information to estimate blood pressure and how hard the heart is beating.
If the heart is working harder, the software can increase the output of the pump accordingly. As physical exertion goes down and the heart slows down, the pump likewise can reduce its output.
The activity of the heart is not the only thing that the software monitors, however. It also can keep track of how efficiently the pump is operating, which can provide a measure of the flow of blood back to the heart and help determine when it is no longer helpful to increase the pumping action.
VCR
ventracor limited
