Linear blood pump: First results of a lab version with carbonic surface

Abstract

In order to combine membrane and rotating related principle we propose a new concept for a blood pump that is not in need of membranes or rotating properties, but mimic the displacement of an inlet valve against an outlet valve as it is also part of the natural cardiac cycle (see Figure). A linear induction motor creates a gradient depending displacement which refers to some extent to the velocity field of rotational pumps. In addition, the new concept allows refinement of all blood- contact surfaces with carbon or ceramics combined with a nearly laminar flow profile. After development of different steering modes, we built a lab-version with a nearly fully carbonised blood contact surface (see figure). In mock-circulation we tested hemodynamic and electrical parameters like pump volume, pressure curves, efficacy and regulation properties. Depending on pre- and afterload and energy consumption of between 2 to 40 Watts pumping volume ranged from 1 to 15l/min at 80 to 250mmHg systolic pressure and a frequency of 10 to 200 beats per minute. These pre-liminary data make a small, effective and powerfull system for construction of blood pump devices feasible.