Clinical translation of the assets of biomedical engineering - a retrospective analysis with looks to the future

Introduction: Biomedical-engineering (BME) plays a major role in modern medicine. Many BME-based assets have been brought to clinical translation in the twentieth century, but translation currently stagnates. Here, we compare the impact of past and present scientific, economic and societal climates on the translation of BME-based assets, in order to provide the BME-community with incentives to address current stagnation. Areas covered: In the twentieth century, W.J. Kolff brought kidney dialysis, the total artificial heart, artificial vision and limbs to clinical application. This success raises the question whether Kolff and other past giants of clinical translation had special mind-sets, or whether their problem selection, their training, or governmental and regulatory control played roles. Retrospective analysis divides the impact of BME-based assets to clinical application into three periods: 1900-1970: rapid translation from bench-to-bedside, 1970-1990: new diseases and increased governmental control, and the current translational crisis from 1990 onward. Expert opinion: Academic and societal changes can be discerned that are concurrent with BME's translational success: mono-disciplinary versus multi-disciplinary training, academic reward systems based on individual achievements versus team achievements with strong leadership, increased governmental and regulatory control, and industrial involvement. From this, recommendations can be derived for accelerating clinical translation of BME-assets

Effect of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy on Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilatation in the Cutaneous Microvasculature

Aims: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves hemodynamic parameters, exercise capacity, symptoms, functional status, and prognosis among patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The role of the vascular endothelium in these improvements is largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the endothelium-dependent reactivity of the peripheral microcirculation improves in CHF patients during the first 2 months of CRT. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods: We used local heating and iontophoresis of acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) to measure endothelial function and smooth muscle function in the cutaneous microvasculature of 11 CHF patients before and 2 months after CRT. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: We found that the perfusion response in the skin to local heating was increased 2 months postCRT compared with baseline, both in terms of maximum perfusion (baseline: 113 [90-137] vs 2-months post-CRT: 137 [98-175], P = 0.037) and area under curve (baseline: 1,601 [935-2,268] vs 2-months CRT: 2,205 [1,654-2,757], P = 0.047). Also, the perfusion response to iontophoresis of ACh was improved (Emax: 23.9 [20.6-26.2] vs at 2-months CRT: 31.2 [29.3-33.4], P = 0.005). No difference was found between the responses to SNP before and after CRT. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusion: These results show that CRT improves endothelium-dependent vasodilatory capacity in the peripheral microcirculation within 2 months of therapy. The improvement in functional capacity that is seen in patients treated with CRT may, therefore, be in part mediated by an improvement of endothelium-dependent vasodilatory capacity.Funding Agencies|Medtronic NL B.V., Heerlen, the Netherlands||Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases (CoRPS), Department of Medical Psychology, Tilburg University, the Netherlands|