A pneumonectomy can result in many complications post-surgery due to the lack of a lung and the same cardiac output of blood being forced through a single pulmonary artery. However, few studies have examined the effect of changes in the shear stress magnitude on the endothelial glycocalyx post-operation. A parallel plate flow chamber capable of mimicking the pulmonary arteries before and after a pneumonectomy was developed to collect data regarding potential damage to the glycocalyx post-pneumonectomy. Flow simulations with the designed model revealed that after a left pneumonectomy, the shear stress in the right artery increases 4-fold and after a right pneumonectomy, the shear stress in the left artery increases 3-fold. For in-vitro experiments, the flow chamber allowed for physiologically relevant shear stress to be applied on human lung microvascular endothelial cells. Changes in shear stress post-pneumonectomy were investigated using immunostaining and confocal interrogation of the endothelial glycocalyx and quantified using ImageJ. Understanding how an increase in shear stress affects the endothelial glycocalyx is critical in reducing patient mortality post-pneumonectomy.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Raskind, Samantha
• Cruz-Calderon, Natasha
• Miller, Gillian
• Masse, Lydia
• Paradis, Taylor

Subject

• Innovation

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 64941
• E-project-042822-082839

Keyword

• Parallel Plate Flow Chamber
• Pneumonectomy
• Endothelial Glycocalyx

Advisor

• Mensah, Solomon
• Billiar, Kristen

Year

• 2022

Sponsor

• Aaron B. Waxman

Date created

• 2022-04-28

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biomedical Engineering

Source

• E-project-042822-082839

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-01-13