Colloquium: Dr. Daniel Ewert
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering North Dakota State University Fargo, NDPromotion of Myocardial Recovery using an Artificial Vasculature: (The Path to It)
Heart failure patients have a number of treatment options, but as their failure progresses many find themselves with an assist device to bridge them to a human heart transplant. In a few of these patients, the heart recovered most of its normal function and the assist device could be explanted, spawning a new area of bridge-to-recovery devices.
One such device was conceived and patented. This presentation describes, in high-level details, the chronological path taken to arrive at the concept and postulates where the concept may go in the future. Lessons learned through successes and failures along the way will be described. Future challenges related to cardiovascular engineering and biophysics will be delineated with time for discussion and perhaps new research collaborations will be initiated.