Design of a small centrifugal blood pump with magnetic bearings.

Design of a blood pump with a magnetically levitated rotor requires rigorous evaluation of the magnetic bearing and motor requirements and analysis of rotor dynamics and hydraulic performance with attention to hemolysis and thrombosis potential. Given the desired geometric dimensions, the required operating speed, flow in both the main and wash flow regions, and magnetic bearing performance, one of several design approaches was selected for a new prototype. Based on the estimated operating speed and clearance between the rotor and stator, the motor characteristics and dimensions were estimated. The motor stiffness values were calculated and used along with the hydraulic loading due to the fluid motion to determine the best design for the axial and radial magnetic bearings. Radial and axial stability of the left ventricular assist device prototype was verified using finite element rotor dynamic analysis. The analysis indicated that the rotor could be completely levitated and spun to the desired operating speed with low power loss and no mechanical contact. In vitro experiments with a mock loop test setup were performed to evaluate the performance of the new blood pump prototype.

Performance characterization of a rotary centrifugal left ventricular assist device with magnetic suspension.

The MiTiHeart (MiTiHeart Corporation, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) left ventricular assist device (LVAD), a third-generation blood pump, is being developed for destination therapy for adult heart failure patients of small to medium frame that are not being served by present pulsatile devices. The pump design is based on a novel, patented, hybrid passive/active magnetic bearing system with backup hydrodynamic thrust bearing and exhibits low power loss, low vibration, and low hemolysis. Performance of the titanium alloy prototype was evaluated in a series of in vitro tests with blood analogue to map out the performance envelop of the pump. The LVAD prototype was implanted in a calf animal model, and the in vivo pump performance was evaluated. The animal's native heart imparted a strong pulsatility to the flow rate. These tests confirmed the efficacy of the MiTiHeart LVAD design and confirmed that the pulsatility does not adversely affect the pump performance.

Testing of a centrifugal blood pump with a high efficiency hybrid magnetic bearing.

The purpose of this article is to present test results for a second generation, high efficiency, nonpulsatile centrifugal blood pump that is being developed for use as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The LVAD pump uses a hybrid passive-active magnetic bearing support system that exhibits extremely low power loss, low vibration, and high reliability under transient conditions and varying pump orientations. A unique feature of the second generation design configuration is the very simple and direct flow path for both main and washing blood flows. The pump was tested in both vertical and horizontal orientations using a standard flow loop to demonstrate the performance and durability of the second generation LVAD. Steady state and transient orientation pump operating characteristics including pressure, flow, speed, temperatures, vibration, and rotor orientation were measured. During the tests, pump performance was mapped at several operating conditions including points above and below the nominal design of 5 L/min at 100 mm Hg pressure rise. Flow rates from 2 to 7 L/min and pressure rises from 50 to 150 mm Hg were measured. Pump speeds were varied during these tests from 2,500 to 3,500 rpm. The nominal design flow of 5 L/min at 100 mm Hg pressure rise was successfully achieved at the design speed of 3,000 rpm. After LVAD performance testing, both 28 day continuous duty and 5 day transient orientation durability tests were completed without incident. A hydrodynamic backup bearing design feasibility study was also conducted. Results from this design study indicate that an integral hydrodynamic backup bearing may be readily incorporated into the second generation LVAD and other magnetically levitated pump rotors.

Design analysis and performance assessment of hybrid magnetic bearings for a rotary centrifugal blood pump.

A hybrid magnetic bearing system was designed for a rotary centrifugal blood pump being developed to provide long-term circulatory support for heart failure patients. This design consists of two compact bearings to suspend the rotor in five degrees-of-freedom with single axis active control. Permanent magnets are used to provide passive radial support and electromagnets to maintain axial stability of the rotor. Characteristics of the passive radial and active thrust magnetic bearing system were evaluated by the electromagnetic finite element analysis. A proportional-integral-derivative controller with force balance algorithm was implemented for closed loop control of the magnetic thrust bearing. The control position is continuously adjusted based on the electrical energy in the bearing coils, and thus passive magnetic forces carry static thrust loads to minimize the bearing current. Performance of the magnetic bearing system with associated control algorithm was evaluated at different operating conditions. The bearing current was significantly reduced with the force balance control method and the power consumption was below 0.5 W under various thrust loads. The bearing parameters predicted by the analysis were validated by the experimental data.