Chronic in vivo function of a new ventricular assist device: the extracorporeal pulsatile assist device (EPAD).
An extracorporeal pulsatile assist device (EPAD) is a valveless, single-chambered, pneumatically-actuated blood pump composed of a graft conduit, connecting ring, bladder, and blowmolded housing. This allows a simple and quick surgical procedure and is easily actuated with a conventional intraaortic balloon pumping console if desired. To evaluate in vivo pump functions, the EPAD was tested in calves as a left ventricular assist device for 6-24 days. The EPAD was well synchronized to the natural heart beat up to 130 bpm in the counterpulsation mode with mild systemic heparinization (active clotting time: 200-250 seconds). Heart rate, coronary flow and cardiac output were not significantly changed by on-off testing. However, the pump showed promising diastolic augmentation (10.8% increase in the diastolic pressure time index) in these chronic animal experiments.
Utoh
J
J
Dept. Biomedical Engineering & Applied Therapeutics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH.
Whalen
R L
RL
Wilkerson
B R
BR
Fukamachi
K
K
Harasaki
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002302:Cardiac Output; D002417:Cattle; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D015908:Counterpulsation; D006339:Heart Rate; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006439:Hemodynamics; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction