TOTALLY IMPLANTABLE VENTRICULAR ASSIST SYSTEM USING A VIBRATING FLOW PUMP

A totally implantable ventricular assist system (VAS), including a dri ve system and a percutaneous electric energy transmission system, was developed and evaluated in acute animal experiments using adult goats. This newly designed VAS mainly consists of a vibrating tube, coils, m agnets, and a jelly-fish valve as the outlet valve. For energy transmi ssion, a new implantable transmitter with a plain weave structure was proposed as a noncontacting transform by using the spinal amorphous ma gnetic fibers. The fluid mechanical and hemodynamic properties and the efficiency of the energy transmission system were evaluated in acute animal experiments using healthy adult goats. This vibrating electroma gnetic artificial heart (AH) could generate more than 10 L/min as outp ut volume, with 10 Hz vibration using 20 volts as supplied voltage. Th e total efficiency of the percutaneous energy transmission system was 76%, and temperature increases were within the acceptable range, sugge sting the usefulness of our newly developed implantable VAS.