In vitro assessment of the Apico Aortic Blood Pump: anatomical positioning, hydrodynamic performance, hemolysis studies, and analysis in a hybrid cardiovascular simulator.

The Apico Aortic Blood Pump (AABP) is a centrifugal continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) with ceramic bearings. The device is in the initial development phase and is being designed to be attached directly to the left ventricular apex by introducing an inlet cannula. This paper reports results from in vitro experiments. In order to evaluate implantation procedures and device dimensioning, in vitro experiments included an anatomic positioning study for the analysis of surgical implantation procedure and device dimensions and positioning that was performed using the body of a pig. The results revealed no damage caused by the device, and the surgical implantation procedure was considered feasible. Hydrodynamic performance curves were obtained to verify the applicability of the device as an LVAD, showing adequate performance. Mechanical blood trauma was analyzed through 6-h hemolysis tests, with total pressure head of 100 mm Hg and flow of 5 L/min. Mean normalized index of hemolysis was 0.009 g/100 L (±0.002 g/100 L). Studies using a hybrid cardiovascular simulator were conducted for three types of circulatory conditions: normal healthy conditions, concentric hypertrophic heart failure (CHHF), and CHHF with AABP assistance. Analysis of cardiovascular parameters under those three conditions demonstrated that when the AABP was assisting the system, parameters under CHHF conditions went back to normal healthy values, indicating the AABP's effectiveness as CHHF therapy. Our preliminary results indicate that it is feasible to use the AABP as a LVAD. The next steps include long-term in vivo experiments.