FEASIBILITY OF AN AIR MOTOR-DRIVEN CENTRIFUGAL BLOOD-PUMPING SYSTEM

The use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is extending out of the cardia c surgery operating room into new venues. The long-term goal of this p roject is the development of a completely disposable temporary-use CPB system that could be economically distributed to all of the units whe re it might be needed. Centrifugal blood pumps have demonstrated succe ssful and widespread use. However, they are not as widely available as might be desired because they require a large and expensive console. An inexpensive, small, lightweight, disposable unit, in contrast, coul d be widely distributed for emergency care of patients and would be lo gistically practical for patient transportation between the presenting institution and a major cardiac care facility equipped for definitive treatment. An air motor might be an approach to such a device. The cu rrent research project underway at the University of Akron in conjunct ion with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation has focused on the following key feasibility issues: air consumption, air motor noise, and sealing the rotating shaft. Prototypes have been constructed from commercially available vane and turbine motors. Early studies have demonstrated fa vorable results with regard to air consumption and shaft sealing and d irections for handling air motor noise.