Next Generation Total Artificial Heart Driver

SynCardia Systems manufacturers the total artificial heart (TAH-t) used by end stage heart failure patients waiting for a transplant. Sunrise Labs was engaged to develop the next generation driver for the implanted TAH-t. The Driver is worn as a backpack by the patient to deliver a specific cyclic pressurized air profile through cannulae to drive the TAH-t. The TAH-t then pumps blood through a patient’s circulatory system. The power supply and pump are integrated into the Driver unit, allowing patients to leave the hospital setting and maintain a mobile lifestyle.

 
  • Collaborated with SynCardia to make the next generation driver  smarter, more reliable, quieter, smaller, lighter, with a longer battery life, and a controllable pressure profile
  • Architected a highly robust system with a pneumatic pump directly driven by a DC motor. Power is triply redundant
  • Multiple safety processors controlled the processes, monitoring, and alarming
  • Usability was enhanced through a touchscreen GUI, and robust battery swapping mechanisms
  • Among other innovations; the team invented a low friction piston seal that runs extended cycles with no oil and no maintenance
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