Project Overview

Heartworm infection is a potentially life-threatening disease in dogs seen throughout the United States. Severe infections result in large heartworm infestations that are localized to the pulmonary arteries and right heart. Caval syndrome occurs when heart worms obstruct blood flow through the right heart and result in severe anemia, pulmonary hypertension, right-heart failure and death. Surgical extraction of the heartworms from the right heart and pulmonary arteries is the only chance of survival in these dogs. Currently, there are devices used to extract heartworms with varying success. The crucial part of heartworm extraction is that the worms can not be crushed or broken during the removal process, and if this occurs the dog often dies due to release of antigenic material from the worms. The procedure occurs through an incision into the jugular vein. Essentially, the ideal heartworm retrieval device would: 1. maximally remove the most number of heartworms 2. prevent damage to the heartworms 3. be flexible and long enough to be guided into the right heart and pulmonary arteries 4. be gentle enough to prevent damage to the vessels and heart, and 5. be small enough to pull through the jugular vein when retrieving the heartworms.

Team Picture

Contact Information

Team Members

• Ashley Zagaros - Team Leader
• Elise Gendreau - Communicator
• Leah Gause - BSAC
• Zoe Schmanski - BWIG
• Jacob Rouw - BPAG

Advisor and Client

• Dr. Ed Bersu - Advisor
• Dr. Heidi Kellihan - Client