A NEW PNEUMATIC PUMP FOR EXTRACORPOREAL-CIRCULATION - TPP (TRUE PULSATILE PUMP) - EXPERIMENTAL AND FIRST CLINICAL-RESULTS

A pulsatile, membrane type pump, TPP, was developed for use in routine cardiac surgery. The artificial ventricle consists of a polycarbonate housing with an inlet and outlet polyurethane tricuspid valve. The me mbrane is actuated hydraulically For pre-clinical studies, we designed a study in sheep. After a pump run of 6 hours the animals were allowe d to recover and sacrificed after 72 hours. All clinical parameters re turned to normal values (p>0.05 vs. control values). During pump run w e found elevated free plasma hemoglobine. However, these Values return ed to normal until the end of the observation period. Thereafter, the device was used in ten routine cardiac surgery procedures. All patient s survived the procedure and were discharged from hospital. The postop erative course of lab parameters (kidney liver and blood count) was no different to routine cardiac surgical procedures. This pulsatile pump system can thus be safely employed in cardiac surgery.