World Heart Corporation out of Salt Lake City, Utah has announced that seven patients have now been implanted with the firm’s Levacor VAD in a clinical trial. The ventricular assist heart pump uses a fully magnetically levitated rotor eliminating any wear, potentially providing much longer life for the device.
More about the product:
The Levacor VAD’s levitation technology employs a unique combination of passive and single-axis active control, resulting in the simplest levitation system possible.
A low-profile centrifugal pump, whose rotor is completely suspended using full magnetic levitation and spun using a flat, pancake-shaped DC motor.Expected improved blood compatibility by allowing greater clearances around the rotor and more idealized flow patterns across a wider range of operation. Unlike pumps with blood-immersed mechanical or hydrodynamic bearings, full magnetic levitation eliminates wear within the pump as well as dependence on blood properties for rotor suspension. Pressure-flow characteristics of a centrifugal pump are potentially better suited than an axial pump to patients’ physiological needs. Levacor Pump Specifications:
Designed flow rate range: 0-10 L/Min Nominal operation 6.5 L/Min @ 100 mmHg and 2500 rpm Inflow cannula and outflow graft diameter: 12 mm Low profile: 38 mm anterior-posterior dimension (critical to anatomic fit) Anatomic fit: adolescents/small women
Press release: WorldHeart Announces Two Implants of the Levacor(TM) VAD…
Product page: Levacor VAD…
Flashbacks: PediaFlow Ventricular Assist Device; Rotary VAD From WorldHeart Debuts
