1995 年 24 巻 2 号 p. 383-390
A totally implantable electromechanical total artificial heart (TAH) system has been developed in our institute. This pump is very small (outerdiameter; 97mm, central thickness; 83mm and weight; 620g), demonstrating a good anatomical fit in the pericardial space of 26 heart transplant recipients. The actuation mechanism is simple, and all the components are commercially available with proven long-term durability, thus allowing easier fabrication. The pump can be easily and simply controlled by reliable Hall effect sensors with left masteral ternate (LMA) mode. Four newly fabricated TAH demonstrated quite similar pump performances. This TAH has a reproducible high performance with good quality assurance. In vitro performance mapping demonstrated that the pump canprovide a maximum flow of 9L/min, with a high sensitivity to preload and a low sensitivity to afterload. During four months of accelerated endurance testing in 42°C saline, no electromechanical troubles were observed and power requirement remained constant, which indicated a stable and reliable performance. After modification of the inflow valve angle, excellent flow pattems inside the blood chamber were demonstrated in this study using laser light and a high speed camera. In vivo feasibility tests were performed successfully in eight calves for up to one week, thus demonstrating the readiness to move forward to long-term in vivo studies. This small, simple, reliable and durable mechanically-driven totally implantable TAH system is suitable for a permanent heart replacement.
