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Status of the artificial heart program in Berlin

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Abstract

The artificial organs program in Berlin started more than 20 years ago. The main emphasis in the circulatory assist and replacement devices program was and still is on the development of an electro-pneumatic total artificial heart (TAH) system. Additionally, a temporary assist system and investigations in the field of biomaterials are included in the research activities. Topics of the program are: interactions between natural and artificial materials, blood pump development and in vitro fatigue testing, driving units and energy transmission, measurement equipment needed for the surveillance and automatic control of the TAH system, in vivo studies of the response of the circulatory system and the organs, in vivo reliability, and training of the staff for clinical readiness. The joint efforts of engineers of different disciplines and medical doctors, working together in the department of experimental surgery, supported in the past by industrial partners, resulted after extensive in vitro and in vivo investigations in the clinical application of temporary assist devices and the realization of a percutaneous portable, electro-pneumatic total artificial heart system.

Résumé

Le programme d'étude des organes artificiels à Berlin a débuté il y a plus de 20 ans. En ce qui concerne le coeur il s'est attaché à la mise au point d'un coeur artificiel de type électro-pneumatique cependant que la recherche concernait simultanément la mise au point d'un appareil d'assistance cardiaque temporaire et l'étude biologique des matériaux. Les thèmes de ce programme sont les suivants: (a) interactions entre les matériaux naturels et artificiels; (b) développement d'une pompe sanguine et étude de l'usure in vitro; (c) éléments conducteurs et transmission énergétique; (d) mesure des équipements que nécessitent la surveillance et le contrôle automatique du coeur artificiel; (e) études in vivo de la réaction du système circulatoire des organes; (f) entraînement de l'équipe pour l'application clinique du coeur artificiel. Les efforts conjoints des ingénieurs de différentes disciplines et des médecins travaillant ensemble dans le département de chirurgie expérimentale, supportés dans le passé par les partenaires industriels, ont résulté après des études étendues in vitro et in vivo dans l'application clinique d'appareils d'assistance temporaire et dans la réalisation d'un coeur artificiel électro-pneumatique transportable.

Resumen

El programa de órganos artificiales se inició en Berlín hace más de 20 años. El mayor énfasis, dentro del programa de asistencia circulatoria y reemplazos mecánicos, ha sido realizado y continúa siéndolo en el desarrollo de un sistema electroneumático de corazón artificial total. Además, se han incluído en el programa de investigación general el desarrollo de un sistema de asistencia temporal junto con estudios en el campo de los biomateriales. Los principales tópicos del programa son: las interacciones entre materiales naturales y artificiales, el desarrollo de bombeo sanguíneo y las pruebas de fatiga in vitro, unidades de propulsión y transmisión energética, equipos de medición necesarios para la vigilancia y control automático del sistema de corazón artificial total, estudios in vivo de la respuesta del sistema circulatorio y de los órganos, el adiestramiento in vivo del personal técnico en cuanto a aptitud y confiabilidad. El esfuerzo coordinado de ingenieras de diferentes disciplinas y de médicos, trabajando continuamente en el departamento de cirugía experimental, apoyado en el pasado por socios industriales, ha resultado, después de extensas investigaciones in vitro e in vivo, en la aplicación clínica de sistemas de asistencia circulatoria temporal y en la realización de un sistema de corazón artificial electro-neumático percutáneo y portátil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Klinikum Charlottenburg, Chirurgische Universitätsklinik der Freien Universität Berlin, Spandauer Damm 130, 1000, Berlin 19, Federal Republic of Germany

    E. S. Bücherl M.D., E. Hennig Ph.D., P. Baer, J. Frank, W. Lemm & F. Zartnack

Authors
  1. E. S. Bücherl M.D.
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  2. E. Hennig Ph.D.
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  3. P. Baer
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  4. J. Frank
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  5. W. Lemm
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  6. F. Zartnack
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Additional information

Supported in part by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) and the BMFT (Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie).

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Bücherl, E.S., Hennig, E., Baer, P. et al. Status of the artificial heart program in Berlin. World J. Surg. 9, 103–115 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01656261

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