Recent Publications:

Muraski, J.A., Rota, M., Misao, Y., Fransioli, J., Cottage, C., Gude, N., Esposito, G., Delucchi, F., Arcarese, M., Alvarez, R., Siddiqi, S., Emmanuel, G.N., Wu, W., Fischer, K., Martindale, J.J., Glembotski, C.C., Leri, A., Kajstura, J., Magnuson, N., Berns, A., Beretta, R.M., Houser, S.R., Schaefer, E.M., Anversa, P., and Sussman. M.A. Pim-1 Regulates Cardiomyocyte Survival Downstream of Akt. Nature Medicine 2007; 13 (12):1467-1475.

Lu, Z., Xu, X., Hu, X., Zhu, G., Zhang, P. van Deel, E.D., French, J.P., Fassett, J.T., Oury, T.D., Bache, R.J., and Chen, Y. Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase Deficiency Exacerbates Pressure Overload-Induced Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Dysfunction. Hypertension 2008; 51:19-25.

Surgical Training Video:

Please contact Scisense to obtain a copy of our new mouse surgical training video. This informative video includes the following chapters: Equipment and surgical instruments required, Anaesthetising the mouse, Intubation and ventilation, Apical approach for recording LV pressure-volume loops, Carotid artery access for closed-chest measurement of LV pressure-volume loops, Accessing the Jugular Vein for hypertonic saline injection and Removing & Cleaning a catheter.

A sample of this professionally created video can be requested by emailing info@scisense.com.

New Decontamination Policy:

Scisense has implemented a new cleaning and decontamination policy for product being returned for evaluation or repair. Detailed disinfection and sterilization instructions will now be included with all shipments as part of our “Product Information Package”. We ask that customers kindly follow these instructions to keep our staff safe from handling contaminated products.

Some important points to remember about Scisense:

• All Scisense FV series pressure-volume amplifiers, FP series pressure amplifiers and FT series pressure and pressure-volume catheters conform to EU EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and meet CE standards.
• All products are tested to the highest standards of quality with each item being subjected to a wide range of tests, a superior process to the statistical sampling technique that other companies use for quality control.
• Our focus is to provide complete solutions and we will work with you to maximize your results in any difficult or unusual application for our sensors.

Scisense takes pride in the outstanding after-sales service and technical support we provide to our valued customers. Each customer has a dedicated Account Manager who is familiar with their research and has an in-depth understanding of how our products are being used in their lab. Account Managers are responsible for keeping in touch with customers on a regular basis and directing any support-related questions to a team of experienced and well-trained individuals from our sales and technical support department.

You can expect prompt, courteous, reliable and professional service from any of these members of the Scisense Team:

  Martin Hess – Director of Sales and Marketing

Martin graduated with a Physiology degree from the University of Western Ontario and has over 13 years of industry experience working with cardiovascular research labs. Martin spent 11 years working with Sonometrics Corporation in London, Ontario where he gained extensive hands-on experience with a broad range of products used to study cardiac function in both large and small animal models including ultrasound imaging systems, transit time and electromagnetic flow meters, a variety of pressure sensors, ECG monitoring equipment and conductance-volume catheters. He has worked with almost every commercially available data acquisition and analysis system on the market and can provide expert advice on compatibility issues and system integration. Martin has been promoting the pressure-volume (PV) loop as the most accurate way to study cardiac function for over 13 years and has a strong theoretical and practical understanding of its application to research.

  Andrew Henton – Account Manager

Andrew graduated with an honours degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Western Ontario and has past experience in physiology research. He has been a member of the Scisense sales team for 2 years and works in the field with many labs to implement Scisense technology, conduct on-site demonstrations, and provide technical support. He is familiar with a variety of data acquisition platforms and device technologies and is the prime contact for laboratories in North America that use Scisense products.

   Cathy Everett – Account Manager

Cathy has been in the Sales department at Scisense for the last 3 years. She has extensive past experience in teaching, customer service and public relations and combines all that acquired knowledge when directly relating to our customers. She is fluent in French and is often the first person you will speak to when you call Scisense. She is very efficient in quickly determining your needs and connecting you to the appropriate person if she does not have the answers herself.

  Peter Plouf - Director of Research & Development

Peter has been the Director of Engineering at Scisense for the last three years. With 20 years of experience as an Electrical Engineer he brings a wealth of knowledge about test and measurement systems to our team. His extensive background in sensor development combined with his strong knowledge of the cardiovascular system keeps Scisense at the leading edge of product development and innovation.

  Kim Wood - Technical Specialist

Kim joined Scisense in 2002 after 17 years in Physiology Research at the University of Western Ontario. He is a certified Research Technician with substantial training in small and large animal surgery. In addition, he has formal training as Electrical Technician and extensive experience with electronic device development. Kim is often the first person to assist with applications-related questions and to discuss customized products for new applications.

  Chad Hodgson - Electronic Engineering Technologist

Chad has been with Scisense for 5 years after obtaining his electronics qualifications. He has significant experience in electronic device and test apparatus development, with a background in manufacturing industry and thermal sensing. His expertise at Scisense is developing biomedical devices incorporating conductance theory and circuitry.

  Dr. Anil Kottam - Research Engineer

Anil has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and has co-authored several papers. He has designed and developed instrumentation and algorithms for in vivo LV volume measurements, performed ischemia monitoring in isolated rat hearts (Langendorff model) and carried out finite element modeling of electromagnetic field penetration from conductance catheters. Anil has over six years of experience in using conductance catheter technology to determine volumes in both large and small animals and has a profound understanding of the technique. He plays a key role in keeping Scisense at the forefront of micro-sensor innovation and technology.

1. What is Parallel Conductance?

The conductance catheter within the left ventricle is intended to measure the conductivity of the blood within the chamber. Ideally, the current applied to the excitation electrodes should be limited to the blood within the ventricle. The reality, however, is that the electric field generated by the catheter is not entirely restricted to the interior of the LV. Because of this, the conductance signal measured by the catheter rings represents a sum of conductance values for the LV blood pool and the surrounding tissues. This effect is known as parallel conductance (Gp) or parallel volume (Vp).

In order to obtain an accurate value of LV volume, it is necessary to determine and subtract the extra-ventricular component of the conductance signal. The saline bolus dilution method is the preferred way of performing this correction. This involves injecting a small bolus of hypertonic saline solution such that it washes into the LV without creating an actual change in pressure or volume.

2. How do I perform a saline bolus to determine Vp?

Parallel volume is determined by injecting a bolus of hypertonic saline into the animal towards the end of the experiment. The goal is to transiently change the conductivity of the blood pool within the left ventricle without affecting hemodynamics of the animal. This is accomplished by injecting a bolus of relatively low volume, but high salt concentration. We recommend using a Hamilton syringe to inject the bolus so that the volume can be accurately administered.

Scisense recommends the following volumes and concentrations for calibration of Vp:

Mouse: 10 µL of 15% hypertonic saline injected into the internal jugular vein
Rat: 25-50 µL of 15-30% hypertonic saline injected into the internal jugular vein

Observe the pressure-volume loop on your software display during the hypertonic saline injection. A successful injection will result in the loops shifting rapidly to the right as conductance (calculated volume) increases. There should be no change to the LV pressure signal. Data should be recorded during this event for subsequent analysis by your software program.

 A Scisense technical representative would be happy to discuss this process with you in more detail.  Please contact us if you have any questions.