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Published on: May 26, 2023
A novel wearable pump-lung device: in vitro and acute in vivo study
Tao Zhang1, Xufeng Wei, Giacomo Bianchi
1Artificial Organs Laboratory, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Background:
To provide long-term ambulatory cardiopulmonary and respiratory support for adult patients, a novel wearable artificial pump-lung device has been developed. The design features and in vitro and acute in vivo performance of this device are reported.
Methods:
This device features a uniquely designed hollow-fiber membrane bundle integrated with a magnetically levitated impeller that together form one ultracompact pump-lung device, which can be placed like current paracorporeal ventricular assist devices to allow ambulatory support. The device is 117 mm in length and 89 mm in diameter and has a priming volume of 115 ml. In vitro hydrodynamic, gas transfer and biocompatibility experiments were carried out in mock flow-loops using ovine blood. Acute in vivo characterization was conducted in an ovine model by surgically implanting the device between right atrium and pulmonary artery.
Results:
The in vitro results show that the device with a membrane surface area of 0.8 m(2) was capable of pumping blood from 1 to 4 liters/min against a wide range of pressures and transferring oxygen at a rate of up to 180 ml/min at a blood flow of 3.5 liters/min. Standard hemolysis tests demonstrated low hemolysis at the targeted operating condition. The acute in vivo results also confirmed that the device can provide sufficient oxygen transfer with excellent biocompatibility.
Conclusions:
Based on in vitro and acute in vivo study findings, this highly integrated wearable pump-lung device can provide efficient respiratory support with good biocompatibility and it is ready for long-term evaluation.
