• Angeles Heredero, Ramon Perez-Caballero, Javier Otero, Daniel Rodríguez-Martínez, Begoña Quintana-Villamandos, Guillermo Rodríguez-Bernal, Ángel González-Pinto, Manuel Ruiz-Fernandez, and Juan F Del Cañizo.
• Department of Cardiac Surgery, Gregorio Marañon General University Hospital, Madrid - Spain.
• Int J Artif Organs. 2012 Apr 30; 35 (4): 272-8.

BackgroundSynchronization between the left ventricle and a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) may be important for ventricular unloading and coronary perfusion. We assessed the synchrony between cardiac and LVAD cycles by increasing delays in steps of 100 msec throughout the cycle, under conditions of total and partial left ventricular support.MethodsWe studied 7 healthy minipigs weighing 30-40 kg. A 60-cc Berlin Heart Excor LVAD was implanted and connected to a BCM 1200 console, making it possible to synchronize the LVAD systole and the EKG signal with a prefixed delay. We recorded hemodynamic parameters (including aortic, pulmonary, and left ventricular pressure) and LVAD flow for each delay.ResultsIntraventricular pressure during LVAD systole was minimized with delays of around 40-80% of one cycle. In addition, total flow was higher under these conditions.ConclusionsThis study shows that the synchronous mode of LVAD operation is feasible. Moreover, a delay in device contraction until the second half of the cardiac cycle optimizes ventricular unloading and may eventually improve myocardial recovery.

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