Development and in vitro fatigue testing of a new bloodpump

1. Three different types of blood pumps (LVAD 80 ml, LVAH 100 ml, TAH 1 120 ml, TAH r 100 ml) with two variations had been designed, fabricated and fatigue tested. 2. The optimizing of the blood diaphragm thickness by analyzing the results of the fatigue testing was impossible up to now because of the long functional times of pumps even with very thin diaphragms (50-80 microns). 3. First in vivo experiments showed no problems with the blood compatibility, the anatomical fit, the fixation of the valves and the toxicity of the used combination of materials. There was no pump related termination in LVAD as well as in TAH experiments.