New Trends in Energy Sources for Cardiac Assist Devices

Abstract

Cardiac assist devices are usually connected to electrical or atomic-energy devices, which are very bulky and require constant monitoring. Atomic energy is sometimes enhanced by heat radiation. From the field of plastic surgery has come the idea of using a muscle as the energy source, mainly the latissimus dorsi. Dr. Andersen, from the Philadelphia group headed by Dr. Stephenson, shows in this chapter that with a stimulated muscle wrapped around a compliance chamber, a device such as an LVAD or a dynamic patch in the aorta can be driven permanently. The problem is muscle fatigue, which can be overcome by a special type of electrical stimulation. The idea originated with Leriche in 1933, who used the pectoral muscle to stimulate a canine heart that had failed due to an infarction. The technique described here is important for the further development of permanent cardiac assist devices. Dr. Khalafalla reports on a similar technique; her system could serve as the energy source for a permanent dynamic aortic patch.