Pulsatile blood flow from impeller pump: a dream has come true

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Devices
• Hemodynamics

Background:

• Producing pulsatile blood flow with impeller pumps has historically faced challenges, primarily excessive hemolysis.
• Previous research suggested that complex systems would be required for pulsatile centrifugal pumps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a functional pulsatile impeller pump, addressing limitations of existing technologies.
• To demonstrate the hemodynamic and physiological advantages of a novel pulsatile impeller pump design.

Main Methods:

• Development of an axial pulsatile impeller pump with simultaneous rotation and reciprocation.
• Utilizing periodic speed changes via a square wave voltage to achieve blood flow pulsatility.
• Conducting animal experiments to evaluate hemodynamic, physiological, hematological, and biochemical parameters.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated hemodynamic and physiological superiority over nonpulsatile impeller and diaphragm pumps.
• Observed low levels of hemolysis, thrombogenesis, renal, and hepatic dysfunction.
• Successfully completed acute biventricular assist animal experiments with a pulsatile implantable impeller total heart.

Conclusions:

• The development of a pulsatile blood flow with an impeller pump has been achieved.
• The novel impeller heart offers simplicity, pulsatility, implantability, compatibility, and reliability.
• This impeller heart presents a viable alternative to diaphragm-based artificial hearts.