Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to develop a minimally invasive mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device which can perform renal-selective blood perfusion (RSP) with low invasion on ischemic kidney. In this study, we developed a catheter-based miniature blood pump for MCS device and evaluated its hydrodynamic performance.The miniature blood pump consisted of an impeller, a brushless DC motor, a motor housing and a pump casing and ejects the blood by rotating the impeller which was installed inside the pump casing by the brushless DC motor. The miniature blood pump has two outlet ports against one inlet port for assisting both renal arteries at the same time. The diameter and total length of the prototype pump was 9 mm and 37 mm, respectively. The pump performance of the prototype miniature blood pump was assessed by in vitro testing using a mock circulation circuit. A flow rate of 1 L/min for a 30 mm Hg pressure head was achieved at rotational speed of approximately 20,000rpm. The prototype pump displayed sufficient performance for assisting both renal arteries.
