PULSATILE AUGMENTATION DEVICE FOR EXTRACORPOREAL-CIRCULATION

A device has been designed, constructed, and tested to provide pulsati le pressure/flow to a standard extracorporeal bypass circuit. The puls atile augmentation device is pneumatically driven similar to an artifi cial heart ventricle except that there are no valves. It is constructe d of polyurethane by vacuum forming and high frequency welding. Driver s used are a modified Arrow-Kontron intraaortic balloon pump or the Ut ah artificial heart driver. In vitro testing with fresh bovine blood d emonstrated acceptable blood compatibility and hemodynamic function. I n vivo testing for 4 h in a right and left heart extracorporeal bypass circuit showed good pulse augmentation in pulmonary and systemic bypa ss circuits. The device shows promise for adding pulse to standard car diopulmonary bypass and to extracorporeal right heart circulatory assi st circuits.