Non-pulsatile circulation with a centrifugal pump as an artificial heart on the awake goats

Abstract

The difference between pulsatile and non-pulsatile circulation on the three awake goats, whose hearts were substituted by the artificial heart, was studied. The goats had two sac pumps (SAC P.) initially and the only left sac pump was switched to a centrifugal pump (C. F. P.) 1-2 weeks later. If the non-pulsatile circulation could not be continued the centrifugal pump was replaced with a sac pump again. One goat survived for 51 hours, increasing right pump flow by 20mL/Kg/min to 110mL/Kg/min in non-pusatile circulation. The renal function was within normal limit but total systemic resistance was increasing during non-pulsatile circulation.