Theresa Grote

I worked as an R&D assistant in the implant development team. The aim was to conduct a study to characterize the pulsatile behavior of the CorWave Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). The obtained results were important to establish appropriate operating points of the implant to generate an efficient pulsatile operation.

An alternative approach using an aspiration catheter was tested to treat pump thrombosis of left ventricular assist devices. A thrombectomy catheter was used within an in-vitro model to assess the direct aspiration of prefabricated clots from three different positions within the Heartware HVAD (inlet, outlet, housing).

An eye tracking experiment was set up to detect if high levels of anxiety in patients who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa lead to an attention bias. Eye tracking data was recorded and evaluated using a self-written script to detect eye movements. Different algorithms were used. A comparison was made between the computed results and the results of a conventional event detection program.

To enhance the biocompatibility of the developed nitinol stents for aortic valves the pickling process was optimized. A comprehensive optimization study on the pickling process was conducted to generate a smoother surface. The goal of the second project was to increase the fatigue limit of bovine and porcine pericardium, which were used for bioprosthetic heart valves. The outcome of the treatments was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry, fatigue testing, and tensile testing.

Medizintechnik