Hemocompatibility of rotodynamic blood pumps

Heart failure patients treated with a rotating blood pump often experience serious side effects. This is likely due to the fact that these pumps arent yet perfectly adapted for use in the body. Currently, theyre designed based on traditional machinery principles, which dont fully suit the unique needs of blood pumping. We aim to investigate how the three essential areas of pump design interact: electromagnetics (how the pump is powered), hydraulics (how it moves blood), and hemocompatibility (how gentle it is on the blood). Our goal is to improve blood pumping by combining knowledge from mechanical engineering and bioengineering, creating a design thats both efficient and compatible with the human body. Ultimately, we want to develop guidelines for designing pumps that better suit different patient groups and reduce side effects. To achieve this, were developing specialized tests and simulations to analyze how different designs affect blood flow within the pump. These analyses will then be compared with side effects in a clinical study. Well also look at how magnetic stabilization of the pump affects blood handling. From all these insights, we hope to derive new design rules for optimized blood pumps. This study is the first to explore the relationship between blood compatibility, pump mechanics, and electric power in such depth. It could allow us to create scientifically grounded guidelines for developing new pumps tailored to patient needs. In addition to this major advancement, each of the three areas will see significant improvements: understanding the exact blood flow in the pump, how energy losses impact blood damage, and how to optimally stabilize the pump magnetically to pump blood more gently.