Abstract
In recent years, a lot of research has been carried out on the use of a ventricular assist device (VAD) in pediatrics. However, all VADs need a driveline, which penetrates through the skin. Consequently, patients are exposed to the risk of infectious diseases due to the percutaneous driveline. Therefore, a transcutaneous energy transmission (TET) device that wirelessly transmits energy from the outside to the inside of the body is required. Conventional TET transformers are too large (diameter:60 mm) for use with pediatric patients. Therefore, we design a miniature transcutaneous transformer that can be used with a pediatric body. And we analyzed the specific absorption rate (SAR) and internal electric field values of biological tissue surrounding an implanted air-core transcutaneous transformer. Our results show that energy transmission efficiency of more than 96% (output power 5W) and 90% (output power 10W) can be achieved. The secondary coil of our transformer was miniaturized by about 66% compared to a conventional secondary coil. The maximum SAR values of output power of 5W and 10W are 1.8W/kg and 0.95W/kg respectively. The internal electric field values of output power of 5W and 10W are 101 V/m and 71 V/m respectively. The SAR and electric field values are below the limiting values prescribed in the ICNIRP guideline.
