Cora valveless pulsatile rotary pump: new design and control

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Devices

Background:

• Decades of research focus on developing totally implantable artificial ventricles.
• Clinical investigations of two devices have been ongoing for 4-5 years.
• Previous studies explored a unique rotary pump design for pulsatile flow without valves or external components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel hypocycloidal rotary pump as a totally implantable artificial ventricle.
• To address challenges encountered in earlier prototypes, specifically gear mechanism jamming.
• To advance the development of a permanent totally implantable left ventricular assist device.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a hypocycloidal pump based on the Maillard-Wankel rotary compressor principle.
• Implanted a sealed, implantable motor-pump unit (titanium, brushless DC motor) in calves as a left ventricular assist device.
• Redesigned the pump with a double sealing system for the rotor cavity to prevent jamming.

Main Results:

• Midterm experiments in calves demonstrated good hemodynamic function.
• Low levels of hemolysis were observed.
• A critical issue identified was blood components jamming the gear mechanism, necessitating a design modification.

Conclusions:

• The redesigned hypocycloidal pump shows potential for use as a permanent totally implantable left ventricular assist device.
• Successful sealing of the bearing mechanism is crucial for long-term functionality.
• Further chronic experiments are planned following the redesign and sealing improvements.