Development and 'in vivo'Testing of an Implantable Stirling Cycle Heart Engine.

摘要

The design,fabrication and in vivo testing of a completely implantable power system that converts thermal to hydraulic power to drive a heart assist device is described. The implantable equipment is based on the successful bench test model of a novel Stirling cycle energy conversion system. It was desirable to proceed from the bench test configuration to the implantable configuration in a minimum time period so only those changes were made which were necessary to make the equipment implantable. The present engine operates on thermal energy received from a thermal storage unit which is periodically recharged using electrical power transmitted through intact skin although the unit could operate using a radioisotope heat source with little change. Engine output is in the form of pressurized gas. This pressurized gas is used in a piston and bellows arrangement (pump actuator) to produce the required pressure pulses in a hydraulic fluid which drives the blood pump.