Key result
Paracorporeal LV-to-aortic assist system sustains continuous pumping in calves for 8 months with minimal thromboemboli.
Supports preclinical development of durable paracorporeal LV-aortic assist; leaves open human translation and safety.
A multidiscipline group was established at The Pennsylvania State University to design and evaluate mechanical circulatory assist devices and the artificial heart. The group has designed a left ventricular to aortic assist system which consists of a sac-type pump, a synchronization unit, a pneumatic power unit, and appropriate monitoring apparatus. The assist system has been evaluated for long-term circulatory assistance in a series of ten calves. The assist pump was placed in the paracorporeal position. The longest period of continuous pumping was over eight months. The last four calves have had synchronized assist pumping which has permitted prolonged ventricular decompression and assist pump flow rates as high as 10 L/min. Three of these four calves had no evidence of thromboemboli. Additional animal studies will be required before clinical use of such an assist pump system can be safely undertaken.
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Pierce et al. (1974) studied this question. Left ventricular to aortic assist system (paracorporeal pump) was evaluated on Feasibility of long-term circulatory assistance and incidence of thromboemboli. A paracorporeal left ventricular to aortic assist system provided continuous pumping for over eight months in calves, achieving flow rates up to 10 L/min with no thromboemboli in 3 of 4 calves.
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