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The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 105, 520-524, Copyright © 1993 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association

ARTICLES

A long-term ventricular assist system

WS Pierce, AJ Snyder, G Rosenberg, WJ Weiss, WE Pae and JA Waldhausen
Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey 17033.

An implantable, electrically powered pump that will provide tether-free circulatory support is being developed. The blood pump consists of a seamless polyurethane sac within a polysulfone case. Bjork-Shiley Monostrut valves provide unidirectional flow. The blood sac is compressed by a pusher plate with a stroke of 1.9 cm and actuated by a brushless direct-current electric motor and motion translator. The current unit is completely sealed, and inductive coupling techniques provide the electrical energy. The system has an implantable electronic control system as well as a battery that provides 30 minutes of operation when the external coil is disconnected. During normal operation, however, the pump is powered by a portable battery pack or by house current. The unit can pump 8.5 L/min at physiologic pressures. Twenty-six animals have had circulatory support for a period of more than 1 week. The average period of pumping was 62 days; the longest was nearly 8 months. Experiments were terminated in 18 animals because of pump-related problems and in 8 because of biologically related problems. Studies to date are very encouraging and suggest that, with further refinement, a reliable 2-year assist pump that will have important clinical application can be developed.

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