Abstract
We have aimed to apply a cascade pump, which has a high ability to generate a pulsatile flow, to a total artificial heart. In a cascade pump, the pressure increases along the flow passage, and therefore the eccentric force occurs, which moves the rotating impeller from the outlet to the inlet. To reduce the force, we have developed a new cascade pump in which one flow from the inlet separates into four. This special structure enables the pressure distributions within the pump to be symmetric with respect to the X, Y, and Z axes. The pump performance test with bovine blood demonstrated 10 L/min against 170 mmHg at 3,200 rpm. Furthermore, we developed a system for measuring the eccentric force on the impeller. The eccentric force was 0.2 N on condition that the pump provided 9.3 L/min against 100 mmHg at 2,500 rpm.
