Development of an electrohydraulic total artificial heart at the National Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan

ASAIO J. 1995 Jul-Sep;41(3):M249-53. doi: 10.1097/00002480-199507000-00005.

Abstract

The authors have been developing an electrohydraulic total artificial heart with a basic concept placing the blood pumps and an electrohydraulic energy converter separately, in the thorax and the abdominal region, respectively, to minimize anatomic constraints. Major problems of the system were a high energy consumption of 56 W at 6 L/min output and an insufficient maximum output of 6.7 L/min. The energy converter was redesigned to overcome these problems. A three phase, 4 pole brushless DC motor, which has maximum efficiency of 79% at a motor rotation of 2500 rpm with a load of 0.1 Nm, was developed for the new energy converter. Flow-channel design of the regenerative oil pump was optimized, which resulted in increasing the maximum flow rate at one directional motor rotation from 18 to 29 L/min. In vitro performance of the electrohydraulic total artificial heart was evaluated in a mock circulation with physiologic pressure conditions. Maximum output was increased to 10.7 L/min at a pump rate of 120 bpm and energy consumption of the motor at 6 L/min output was reduced to 18 W. Based upon these favorable results, the system is now being assembled for chronic animal implantation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Cardiac Output
  • Electronics, Medical
  • Equipment Design
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic
  • Heart, Artificial*
  • Humans
  • In Vitro Techniques