The Flexible Inflow Conduit for Baylor Gyro Permanently Implantable Centrifugal Blood Pump as a Biventricular Assist Device (BVAD) System

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A suction phenomenon is well known as one of the major complications in the development of implantable centrifugal blood pump. A flexible inflow conduit was designed to maintain the proper geometry of the implanted inlet with the ventricular camber. Objective : The hypothesis was that the requirement power of the Gyro PI pump having a flexible inflow conduit would decrease if the suction phenomenon were avoided. Methods: Eight bovine cases were implanted with the Gyro PI pumps as a biventricular assist device (BVAD) system. The left pump was bypassed from the left ventricular apex to the descending aorta, and the right pump bypassed the right infundibulum to the main pulmonary artery. Activated clotting time (ACT) was maintained 200 to 250 seconds using heparin. The experimental animals were divided into two groups for retrospective comparison studies. Group A used the Gyro PI pump without a flexible inflow conduit and Group B used the Gyro PI pump with a flexible inflow conduit. Results: The Gyro PI pumps with this flexible conduit (Group B) were implanted into four calves. Ease of implantation, ease of inflow insertion and stable hemodynamic was demonstrated during these surgical feasibility studies. The requiring power of the pump for Group B was significantly reduced compared to that of the Group A, even though no statistical differences in pump flow rate were evident between the groups. There were no significant differences between group A and group B in the hemolysis parameters. And there was no thrombus formation observed in the flexible inflow conduit during necropsy. Conclusions: A new flexible inflow conduit was designed to be placed between the native heart and the artificial heart. The flexible conduit eliminated the suction phenomenon and greatly improved the efficiency of the pump system.