Implementation of an epicardial implantable MEMS sensor for continuous and real-time postoperative assessment of left ventricular activity in adult minipigs over a short- and long-term period
Zinno C. Agnesi F. DAlesio G. Dushpanova A. Brogi L. Camboni D. Bernini F. Terlizzi D. Casieri V. Gabisonia K. Alibrandi L. Grigoratos C. Magomajew J. Aquaro G.D. Schmitt S. Detemple P. Oddo C.M. Lionetti V. Micera S.
1 June 2024American Institute of Physics
APL Bioengineering
2024#8Issue 2
The sensing of left ventricular (LV) activity is fundamental in the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiovascular health in high-risk patients after cardiac surgery to achieve better short- and long-term outcome. Conventional approaches rely on noninvasive measurements even if, in the latest years, invasive microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors have emerged as a valuable approach for precise and continuous monitoring of cardiac activity. The main challenges in designing cardiac MEMS sensors are represented by miniaturization, biocompatibility, and long-term stability. Here, we present a MEMS piezoresistive cardiac sensor capable of continuous monitoring of LV activity over time following epicardial implantation with a pericardial patch graft in adult minipigs. In acute and chronic scenarios, the sensor was able to compute heart rate with a root mean square error lower than 2 BPM. Early after up to 1 month of implantation, the device was able to record the heart activity during the most important phases of the cardiac cycle (systole and diastole peaks). The sensor signal waveform, in addition, closely reflected the typical waveforms of pressure signal obtained via intraventricular catheters, offering a safer alternative to heart catheterization. Furthermore, histological analysis of the LV implantation site following sensor retrieval revealed no evidence of myocardial fibrosis. Our results suggest that the epicardial LV implantation of an MEMS sensor is a suitable and reliable approach for direct continuous monitoring of cardiac activity. This work envisions the use of this sensor as a cardiac sensing device in closed-loop applications for patients undergoing heart surgery.
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The BioRobotics Institute, Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore SantAnna, Pisa, Italy
Unit of Translational Critical Care Medicine, Laboratory of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Research Center “Health Science, ” Scuola Superiore SantAnna, Pisa, Italy
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Bio@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
BioMedLab, Interdisciplinary Research Center “Health Science” Scuola Superiore SantAnna, Pisa, Italy
Fondazione Toscana “G. Monasterio”, Pisa, Italy
Department of Chemistry, Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems, Mainz, 55129, Germany
University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Council of Research, Pisa, Italy
Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering, Centre for Neuroprosthetics, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
The BioRobotics Institute
Unit of Translational Critical Care Medicine
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Bio@SNS
BioMedLab
Fondazione Toscana “G. Monasterio”
Department of Chemistry
University of Pisa
Institute of Clinical Physiology
Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering
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