DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPLANTABLE LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST SYSTEM WITH IMPEDANCE-BASED MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEM-EVALUATION IN CHRONIC ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS-

Abstract

We have developed an implantable left ventricular assist system (LVAS) for small sized adult patients. The pump made of segmented polyether polyurethane was pneumatic driven diaphragm type. Thirteen adult goats were used for chronic animal experiments and the pump was placed in the abdominal wall. Eight of them were sacrificed after 4 to 15 weeks and one is on-going (17weeks) while in good physical condition. The electrical impedance-based monitoring and control system (Z system) was developed for adequate automatic control. The performance of the implanted pump was well monitored and the full-fill to full-empty drive was well controlled by the Z system. In conclusion, this LVAS is promising for clinical use.