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TAINAN, Taiwan

Dr. Mani Daneshmand, Dr. Roberto Manson and Dr. Dawn E. Bowles from Duke University School of Medicine, United States, joined a workshop held at the National Cheng Kung University Heart Science and Medical Devices Research Center (NCKU HSMDRC) on November 14 for advancing a new cardiac assist device.

The workshop focuses on how to handle the abnormal aorta. According to NCKU HSMDRC Director Dr. Pong-Jeu Lu, they had some ideas on how to implant the para-aortic blood pump (PABP) when the patient’s aorta is abnormal.

Dr. Lu, who is also a professor at the NCKU Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, had led his research team to develop the PABP for over thirteen years.

He said, PABP is a new type of left ventricular assist device which has completed major design, prototype manufacturing and testing after more than 10 years of effort.

Dr. Mani Daneshmand said, “The device is very well-designed. One of the remaining hurdles is how to easily implant it into the diseased aorta. And Professor Lu and his colleagues have come up with several good ideas. I think the device can be implanted very safely now without significant major difficulty.”

“We work along with Professor Lu’s team in developing tools that would allow the implantation of the pump safer and easier in patients who have diseased aortas,” Dr. Daneshmand said.

He also said, “Patients, who have heart failure, often simultaneously have structural problems with their aorta, the main blood conduit out of the heart that delivers blood to the entire body.”

We will be working on developing new tools to make it easier to put the pump in when the aorta is not perfectly healthy, according to Dr. Lu.

Also, our team has very much appreciated the clinical experience and suggestions from Duke Surgery. The opinions from surgeons are absolutely valuable in advancing the device design, Dr, Lu added.

Regarding the portable driver that would be carried by the patient for driving the implanted blood pump, “At this current stage I think you’re fine but if you can make it lighter it will be better,” said Dr. Daneshmand to Dr. Lu’s team in the workshop.