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The enabler cannula pump: a novel circulatory support system
Y Nishimura1, B Meyns, S Ozaki
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, K. U. Leuven, Belgium.
The International Journal of Artificial Organs
|September 1, 1999
Summary
This new enabler circulatory support system effectively unloads the heart and improves circulation, especially in heart failure patients by increasing cardiac output.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- The Enabler is a novel catheter pump system designed for circulatory support.
- It expels blood from the ventricles, providing pulsatile flow and can be implanted minimally invasively.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the hemodynamic performance of the Enabler circulatory support system.
- Assessing its efficacy in various states of myocardial contractility, including heart failure.
Main Methods:
- Hemodynamic parameters were recorded in 9 sheep under non-failing, moderately failing, and severely failing heart conditions.
- Heart failure was induced using coronary artery microsphere injection.
Main Results:
- The Enabler system demonstrated feasibility and achieved pump flows up to 3.5 L/min.
- Significant increases in cardiac output were observed in heart failure, alongside beneficial reductions in left atrial pressure.
Conclusions:
- The Enabler system stabilizes circulation by unloading the heart.
- It actively supports cardiac function in heart failure, enhancing cardiac output and perfusion pressure.