A micropump for pulmonary blood flow regulation

Some congenital cardiopathies require "Fontan" pulmonary circulation. In this article, a special device to increase the flow and pressure in pulmonary arteries is presented. The system is formed by a dc motor plus a helix (generating a radial flow) and a stator, which converts the radial flow into a longitudinal flow. The main innovation of this device is the transmission between the motor and the helix. This is the critical point, since it is necessary to insulate the motor (to prevent short circuits) and it is also necessary to implement an adequate motor-helix transmission path. In other words, the challenge is to implement an axial pump that is going to operate submerged in blood.