Experimental Investigation of the Performance of an Innovative Implantable Left Ventricular Assist Device—Proof of Concept

Abstract

This paper presents the results of experimental performance of an innovative left ventricular assist device working on a specially designed test stand. The introduced invention is mainly applied for supporting the heart in patients with end-stage heart failure accompanied by mitral valve regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension. Moreover, the developed device has the form of a flexible balloon forming an intracardiac inert gas-filled working chamber, which is divided into two smaller balloons (valve and ventricular) inflated with gas during use. In addition to supporting the heart, replacing the work of the left ventricle in a permanent manner is also possible. Furthermore, the designed test stand makes it possible to carry out realistic experiments in an environment resembling a human heart. Exemplary pressure measurements for hypotension and hypertension conditions are presented.

Keywords

• heart assist devices
• implantable assist device
• left ventricle
• intra-cardiac balloons