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Novel control system to prevent right ventricular failure induced by rotary blood pump

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  • Artificial Heart (Basic)
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Abstract

Right ventricular (RV) failure is a potentially fatal complication after treatment with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Ventricular septal shift caused by such devices is an important factor in the progress of RV dysfunction. We developed a control system for a rotary blood pump that can change rotational speed (RS) in synchrony with the cardiac cycle. We postulated that decreasing systolic RS using this system would alter ventricular septal movement and thus prevent RV failure. We implanted the EVAHEART ventricular assist device into seven adult goats weighing 54.1 ± 2.1 kg and induced acute bi-ventricular dysfunction by coronary embolization. Left and RV pressure was monitored, and ventricular septal movement was echocardiographically determined. We evaluated circuit-clamp mode as the control condition, as well as continuous and counter-pulse modes, both with full bypass. As a result, a leftward ventricular septal shift occurred in continuous and counter-pulse modes. The septal shift was corrected as a result of decreased RS during the systolic phase in counter-pulse mode. RV fractional area change improved in counter-pulse (59.0 ± 4.6 %) compared with continuous (44.7 ± 4.0 %) mode. In conclusion, decreased RS delivered during the systolic phase using the counter-pulse mode of our new system holds promise for the clinical correction of ventricular septal shift resulting from a LVAD and might confer a benefit upon RV function.

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Acknowledgments

This study was presented at the annual conference of The American Society for Artificial Internal Organs in 2012, in San Francisco, CA and supported by a JSAO Grant in 2013. The authors are grateful to Dr. Daisuke Ogawa at the Sun Medical Technology Research Corporation for creating the programs.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Artificial Organs, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, 5-7-1 Fujishiro-dai, Suita, Osaka, 565-8565, Japan

    Mamoru Arakawa, Yoshiaki Takewa, Yuichiro Kishimoto, Yutaka Fujii & Eisuke Tatsumi

  2. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan

    Mamoru Arakawa & Hideo Adachi

  3. Department of Cardiac Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan

    Takashi Nishimura & Shunei Kyo

  4. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Takashi Nishimura, Akihide Umeki & Masahiko Ando

Authors
  1. Mamoru Arakawa
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  2. Takashi Nishimura
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  3. Yoshiaki Takewa
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  4. Akihide Umeki
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  5. Masahiko Ando
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  6. Yuichiro Kishimoto
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  7. Yutaka Fujii
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  8. Shunei Kyo
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  9. Hideo Adachi
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  10. Eisuke Tatsumi
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Mamoru Arakawa or Takashi Nishimura.

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Arakawa, M., Nishimura, T., Takewa, Y. et al. Novel control system to prevent right ventricular failure induced by rotary blood pump. J Artif Organs 17, 135–141 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10047-014-0757-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10047-014-0757-1

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