title: Novel left ventricular assist systems I and II for cardiac recovery: the driver.
abstract: We have recently described the Novel Left Ventricular Assist Systems (Novel LVAS) I and II, which avoid cannulation of cardiac chambers and synchronize pumping with the patient's electrocardiogram. We now describe the drive system in more detail. The drive unit is an air-driven pulsatile system. The driver's parameters can be programmed. This electro-pneumatic unit contains 3 modules. A remarkable feature of the driver system is that it contains 2 pneumatic units that alternate in their function every 15 minutes. This prevents overheating and component fatigue or failure, and it enables the use of smaller units. If one of the units fails, an alarm will warn of the problem, and the other will continue indefinitely. This LVAS is synchronized with the patient's ECG, which enables it to eject the stroke volume during diastole and in this way to act as a chronic counterpulsator. We have designed the Novel LVAS to operate at a low-frequency rate. This fact, together with the electrocardiographic synchronization, offers the best prospect for myocardial recovery in patients who are also receiving beta-adrenergic blocking agents. This dual therapy will help adjust heart rate to pump frequency.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Dupuytren Institute-Buenos Aires, Argentina. medicina@unimoron.edu.ar
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cervino
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nasini
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sroka
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diluch
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cáceres
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sellanes
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malusardi
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: del Rio
authors.forename: Si M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: Domingo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liotta
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D009200:Myocardial Contraction