BACKGROUND Heart failure is a clinical syndrome of major epidemiological and economical importance. In Germany as in other industrialised countries it is one of the leading causes of mortality, morbidity and disability. For patients not responding to medical therapies ventricular assist devices are used as bridge to transplant, bridge to recovery or as destination therapy alternative to transpl...

In this paper, we discuss several control techniques for Ventricular Assist Devices FADS) and describe a hierarchical control structure that can be used to regulate the operation of a turbo-hydrodynamic VAD. Early assist devices were pulsatile, and control usually focused on regulating flow, atrial and/or arterial pressures. In recent years, non-pulsatile turbo-hydronamic devices have been intr...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Laparoscopic hand-assist devices have facilitated the broad application and acceptance of laparoscopy in urology and other surgical fields. This study evaluated forearm compression by these devices. MATERIALS AND METHODS Five commercially available hand-assist devices were tested (Gelport, Intromit, PneumoSleeve, Handport, LapDisc). In three surgeons using a porcine mod...