Novel hybrid total artificial heart with integrated oxygenator

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiopulmonary Support Systems
• Medical Device Design

Background:

• Significant unmet need exists for alternative treatments for respiratory distress and lung disease.
• Current cardiopulmonary support systems often limit patient mobility.
• Development of integrated, ambulatory systems is crucial for improving patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and optimize oxygenator designs for a novel portable cardiopulmonary support system.
• To evaluate pressure loss and gas transport efficiency of different oxygenator configurations.
• To assess the integration of optimized oxygenators with a hybrid total artificial heart (TAH) and analyze blood damage potential.

Main Methods:

• Utilized mathematical modeling and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze four oxygenator designs.
• Examined pressure loss (less than 35 mmHg) and gas transport (oxygen transport) for flow rates of 1-7 L/min.
• Simulated two selected oxygenator designs (Model 1 and 3) integrated with a TAH, analyzing blood damage and hemolysis at varying flow rates and speeds (10,000-16,000 RPM).

Main Results:

• All investigated oxygenator designs met pressure loss requirements.
• An outside-to-inside blood flow direction demonstrated superior oxygen transport.
• Model 1, with an outside-to-inside flow, exhibited the lowest potential for blood hemolysis during TAH integration simulations.

Conclusions:

• Optimized oxygenator designs are feasible for integration into a portable, ambulatory cardiopulmonary support system.
• The outside-to-inside flow configuration is advantageous for enhanced oxygen transport.
• Model 1 represents a promising design for minimizing blood damage in the TAH-oxygenator system, warranting further prototype development.