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A Valveless Pulsatile Pump for the Treatment of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Simulation Study

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Abstract

Purpose

Effective treatment of patients with terminal heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is an unmet medical need. The aim of this study was to investigate a novel valveless pulsatile pump as a therapeutic option for the HFpEF population through comprehensive in silico investigations.

Methods

The pump was simulated in a numerical model of the cardiovascular system of four HFpEF phenotypes and compared to a typical case of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The proposed pump, which was modeled as being directly connected to the left ventricle, features a single valveless inlet and outlet cannula and is driven in co-pulsation with the left ventricle. We collected hemodynamics for two different pump volumes (30 and 60 mL).

Results

In all HFpEF conditions, the 30 mL pump improved the cardiac output by approximately 1 L/min, increased the mean arterial pressure by > 11% and lowered the mean left atrial pressure by > 30%. With the larger (60 mL) stroke volume, these hemodynamic improvements were more pronounced. In the HFrEF condition however, these effects were three times less in magnitude.

Conclusions

In this simulation study, the valveless pulsatile device improves hemodynamics in HFpEF patients by increasing the total stroke volume. The hemodynamic benefits are achieved with a small device volume comparable to implantable rotary blood pumps.

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Acknowledgments

This work is part of the Zurich Heart project under the umbrella of “University Medicine Zurich”.

Funding

This study was funded by the UZH Foundation.

Conflict of interest

Marcus Granegger, Hitendu Dave, Walter Knirsch, Bente Thamsen, Martin Schweiger and Michael Hübler declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Pediatric Heart Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Marcus Granegger, Hitendu Dave, Bente Thamsen, Martin Schweiger & Michael Hübler

  2. Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Surgery, Pediatric Heart Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Walter Knirsch

  3. Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Marcus Granegger, Hitendu Dave, Walter Knirsch, Bente Thamsen, Martin Schweiger & Michael Hübler

Authors
  1. Marcus Granegger
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  2. Hitendu Dave
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  3. Walter Knirsch
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  4. Bente Thamsen
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  5. Martin Schweiger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcus Granegger.

Additional information

Associate Editors Dr. Ajit P. Yoganathan and Dr. Ulrich Steinseifer oversaw the review of this article.

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Granegger, M., Dave, H., Knirsch, W. et al. A Valveless Pulsatile Pump for the Treatment of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Simulation Study. Cardiovasc Eng Tech 10, 69–79 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13239-018-00398-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13239-018-00398-8

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