Resumen de Validation of the electromagnetic design of a total artificial heart under physical load conditions

Thomas Finocchiaro, André Pohlmann, Elena Cuenca Navalon, Marc Leßmann, Ulrich Steinseifer, Kay Hameyer

• Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the RWTH's total artificial heart, ReinHeart, focusing on the design of the unique drive system.

  Design/methodology/approach – The force characteristics of the drive have been simulated in a finite element (FE) approach. Additionally the coppler losses within the motor coils have been predicted based on the FE‐simulation. Both results are compared to laboratory measurements of a prototype to validate the design.

  Findings – The presented results show a good correlation between simulation and measurement and proof the applicability of the new design drive system.

  Research limitations/implications – The used hydraulic models of the cardiovasular system used as a load for the device are not fully validated with data from living organisms. Therefore, further in vivo trials are needed.

  Originality/value – The high force density of the drive allows its integration into a fully implantable, total artificial heart, in order to significantly improve durability. This hopefully will extend the indication for artificial hearts as alternatives to transplantation.