Passive magnetic bearing in the 3rd generation miniature axial flow pump-the valvo pump 2

Analysis of Plasma Skimming within a Hydrodynamic Bearing Gap for Designing Spiral Groove Bearings in Rotary Blood Pumps

The blood damage problem inside the narrow hydrodynamic bearing is potentially considered to be solved by applying plasma skimming. However, the consideration of improving plasma skimming has not been included in the design of hydrodynamic bearings. The absence of experimental investigation on revealing the relationship between blood flow and plasma skimming in the bearing gap impedes the design of groove shape for plasma skimming. Thus, the present study was undertaken to evaluate how the blood flow direction and the groove shape affect plasma skimming in the bearing gap. To this end, blood tests using porcine blood were repeated three times with a hematocrit of 0.8%. The bearing gap during the tests was adjusted to 25 µm and the rotational speed was adjusted from 50 rpm to 2500 rpm. The blood flow and plasma skimming effect was evaluated based on image analysis utilizing a high-speed microscope. Results of three tests indicated that the flow direction of RBCs was dominated by the rotating surface in the bearing gap when the rotational speed increased over 1200 rpm. The best plasma skimming effect was observed when the angle between the flow direction of RBCs and the tangent line of the groove was within -10 degrees to 10 degrees. The future study will be conducted with including the consideration of plasma skimming in the bearing shape design. The findings in this study aid the future design and development of hydrodynamic bearing for use in rotary blood pumps.

Comparative assessment of different versions of axial and centrifugal LVADs: A review

Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have gained tremendous acceptance for the treatment of end-stage heart failure patients. Among different versions, axial flow and centrifugal flow LVADs have shown remarkable potential for clinical implants. It is also very crucial to know which device serves its purpose better to treat heart failure patients. A thorough comparison of axial and centrifugal LVADs, which may guide doctors in deciding before the implant, still lacks in the literature. In this work, an assessment of axial and centrifugal LVADs has been made to suggest a better device by comparing their engineering, clinical, and technological development of design aspects. Hydrodynamic and hemodynamic aspects for both types of pumps are discussed along with their biocompatibility, bearing types, and sizes. It has been observed numerically that centrifugal LVADs perform better over axial LVADs in every engineering aspect like higher hydraulic efficiency, better characteristics curve, lesser power intake, and also lesser blood damage. However, the clinical outcomes suggest that centrifugal LVADs experience higher events of infections, renal, and respiratory dysfunction. In contrast, axial LVADs encountered higher bleeding and cardiac arrhythmia. Moreover, recent technological developments suggested that magnetic type bearings along with biocompatible coating improve the life of LVADs.

Development of a novel shrouded impeller pediatric blood pump

The aim of this work was to analyze a shrouded impeller pediatric ventricular assist device (SIP-VAD). This device has distinctive design characteristics and parameter optimizations for minimization of recirculation flow and reduction in high-stress regions that cause blood damage. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to analyze the optimized design. The bench-top prototype of SIP-VAD was manufactured with biocompatible stainless steel. A study on the hydrodynamic and hemodynamic performance of the SIP-VAD was conducted with predictions from CFD and actual experimentation values, and these results were compared. The CFD analysis yielded a pressure range of 29-90 mmHg corresponding to flow rates of 0.5-3 L/min over 9000-11000 rpm. The predicted value of the normalized index of hemolysis (NIH) was 0.0048 g/100 L. The experimental results with the bench-top prototype showed a pressure rise of 30-105 mmHg for the flow speed of 8000-12000 rpm and flow rate of 0.5-3.5 L/min. The maximum difference between CFD and experimental results was 4 mmHg pressure. In addition, the blood test showed the average NIH level of 0.00674 g/100 L. The results show the feasibility of shrouded impeller design of axial-flow pump for manufacturing the prototype for further animal trials.

Systematic Design of a Magnetically Levitated Brushless DC Motor for a Reversible Rotary Intra-Aortic Blood Pump

The IntraVAD is a miniature intra-aortic ventricular assist device (VAD) designed to work in series with the compromised left ventricle. A reverse-rotation control (RRc) mode has been developed to increase myocardial perfusion and reduce ventricular volume. The RRc mode includes forward rotation in systole and reverse rotation in diastole, which requires the IntraVAD to periodically reverse its rotational direction in synchrony with the cardiac cycle. This periodic reversal leads to changes in pressure force over the impeller, which makes the entire system less stable. To eliminate the mechanical wear of a contact bearing and provide active control over the axial position of the rotor, a miniature magnetically levitated bearing (i.e., the PM-Coil module) composed of two concentric permanent magnetic (PM) rings and a pair of coils-one on each side-was proposed to provide passive radial and active axial rotor stabilization. In the early design stage, the numerical finite element method (FEM) was used to optimize the geometry of the brushless DC (BLDC) motor and the maglev module, but constructing a new model each time certain design parameters were adjusted required substantial computation time. Because the design criteria for the module had to be modified to account for the magnetic force produced by the motor and for the hemodynamic changes associated with pump operation, a simplified analytic expression was derived for the expected magnetic forces. Suitable bearings could then be designed capable of overcoming these forces without repeating the complicated FEM simulation for the motor. Using this method at the initial design stage can inform the design of the miniature maglev BLDC motor for the proposed pulsatile axial-flow VAD.

Measurement of hemodynamic changes with the axial flow blood pump installed in descending aorta

We have developed various axial flow blood pumps to realize the concept of the Valvo pump, and we have studied hemodynamic changes under cardiac assistance using an axial flow blood pump in series with the natural heart. In this study, we measured hemodynamic changes of not only systemic circulation but also cerebral circulation and coronary circulation under cardiac support using our latest axial flow blood pump placed in the descending aorta in an acute animal experiment. The axial flow blood pump was installed at the thoracic descending aorta through a left thoracotomy of a goat (43.8 kg, female). When the pump was on, the aortic pressure and aortic flow downstream of the pump increased with preservation of pulsatilities. The pressure drop upstream of the pump caused reduction of afterload pressure, and it may lead to reduction of left ventricular wall stress. However, cerebral blood flow and coronary blood flow were decreased when the pump was on. The axial flow blood pump enables more effective blood perfusion into systemic circulation, but it has the potential risk of blood perfusion disturbance into cerebral circulation and coronary circulation. The results indicate that the position before the coronary ostia might be suitable for implantation of the axial flow blood pump in series with the natural heart to avoid blood perfusion disturbances.

Artificial hearts-recent progress: republication of the article published in the Japanese Journal of Artificial Organs

This review was created based on a translation of the Japanese review written in the Japanese Journal of Artificial Organs in 2015 (Vol.44, No. 3, pp.130-135), with some modifications regarding several references published in 2015 or later.