The spindle pump--a new concept for a nonpulsatile bloodpump.

The spindle pump--a new nonpulsatile bloodpump--has been developed as paracorporeal ventricular assist pump. The experiments with calves clearly demonstrated, that this pump as LVAD empties the left ventricle completely, the aortic pressure curve showing the typical nonpulsatile profil. A problem is the traumatic hemolysis, the free hemoglobin was in all experiments slightly but always above our standard. To solve this problem we will optimize shapes of the spindle and of the housing and coate all parts of the pump with polyurethane.