ABSTRACT
Objective To propose the design of a pulsate blood pump driven by magnetic coupling and verify its feasibility. Methods The blood pump was designed based on the magnetic transmission reciprocating force model and the push-and-pull structure, and the coupling force was calculated by building the magnetic force-driven model. The prototype of the blood pump was then manufactured, on which the extracorporeal circulation simulation test was conducted to obtain the pressure and flow rate. Results Physiological saline was used as the circulation medium. When the afterload was fixed and increase the preload, the output of the blood pump would decrease, but showing no obvious linear trend. While the preload was fixed and increase the afterload, the output of the blood pump was reduced, showing a linear trend. With the driving frequency set as 75 per minute, and the preload and afterload adjusted in the range of 0.665-3.990 kPa (5-30 mmHg) and 5.320-11.970 kPa (40-90 mmHg), respectively, the output of the blood pump could reach 2.0-3.1 L/min while guaranteeing the linear relationship. Conclusions The proposed magnetic coupling-driven pulsate blood pump can basically meet the need of extracorporeal membrane pulmonary circulation, while it still needs further improvement. The research results have a valuable application prospect, especially with great significance in replacement of blood pump currently used in the extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) equipment in clinic.