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Updated: Mar 18, 2026

In Vitro Model of Physiological and Pathological Blood Flow with Application to Investigations of Vascular Cell Remodeling
Published on: November 3, 2015
Rotary piston blood pumps: past developments and future potential of a unique pump type
Johannes Wappenschmidt1,2, Rüdiger Autschbach2, Ulrich Steinseifer1
1a Institute of Applied Medical Engineering , Helmholtz-Institute RWTH Aachen University , Aachen , Germany.
Introduction:
The design of implantable blood pumps is either based on displacement pumps with membranes or rotary pumps. Both pump types have limitations to meet the clinical requirements. Rotary piston blood pumps have the potential to overcome these limitations and to merge the benefits. Compared to membrane pumps, they are smaller and with no need for wear-affected membranes and valves. Compared to rotary pumps, the blood flow is pulsatile instead of a non-physiological continuous flow. Furthermore, the risk of flow-induced blood damage and platelet activation may be reduced due to low shear stress to the blood.
Areas Covered:
The past developments of rotary piston blood pumps are summarized and the main problem for long-term application is identified: insufficient seals. A new approach with seal-less drives is proposed and current research on a simplified rotary piston design is presented. Expert commentary: The development of blood pumps focuses mainly on the improvement of rotary pumps. However, medical complications indicate that inherent limitations of this pump type remain and restrict the next substantial step forward in the therapy of heart failure patients. Thus, research on different pump types is reasonable. If the development of reliable drives and bearings succeeds, rotary piston blood pumps become a promising alternative.
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