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Extra-Cardiac Compression; A Novel Approach to Mechanical Cardiac Assistance
Daniel Ventre, MD1, Michael L. Pigula, MD1, Jeffrey Borenstein, MD1, Frank A. Pigula, MD2
1Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA; 2Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA
Background: Thromboembolic complications are common with the current generation of ventricular assist devices. To avoid this, we are designing a novel cardiac compression device (CCD) that mechanically assists cardiac function while avoiding device/blood contact.
Methods: We constructed and tested McKibben "air muscle" units for use as the CCD actuators. Muscle units are composed of a mesh sleeve containing an inflatable silicon bladder (Figure 1). Integration of several units onto a flat mesh results in a prototype contractile sheet.
Results: Displayed data is obtained from a 1/8" ID, ¼" OD device. Individual muscle unit maximal shortening was 23%, generating 14 lbs of force (Figure 2).
Conclusion: Muscle unit shortening and force generation are suitable for powering a CCD. While muscle unit performance obeyed predictive models, it was highly dependent on construction materials. Silicon bladders of different elasticities and mesh sleeves of different textile threading determined device durability and power. Materials selection is critical for optimization at different size scales. Optimization of materials and muscle unit organization are the next steps in CCD development.
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