Feasibility of Pump Speed Modulation for Restoring Vascular Pulsatility with Rotary Blood Pumps

Continuous flow (CF) left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) diminish vascular pressure pulsatility, which may be associated with clinically reported adverse events including gastrointestinal bleeding, aortic valve insufficiency, and hemorrhagic stroke. Three candidate CF LVAD pump speed modulation algorithms designed to augment aortic pulsatility were evaluated in mock flow loop and ischemic heart failure (IHF) bovine models by quantifying hemodynamic performance as a function of mean pump speed, modulation amplitude, and timing. Asynchronous and synchronous copulsation (high revolutions per minute [RPM] during systole, low RPM during diastole) and counterpulsation (low RPM during systole, high RPM during diastole) algorithms were tested for defined modulation amplitudes (+/- 300, +/- 500, +/- 800, and +/- 1,100 RPM) and frequencies (18.75, 37.5, and 60 cycles/minute) at low (2,900 RPM) and high (3,200 RPM) mean LVAD speeds. In the mock flow loop model, asynchronous, synchronous copulsation, and synchronous counterpulsation algorithms each increased pulse pressure (P = 931%, 210%, and 98% and reduced left ventricular external work (LVEW = 20%, 22%, 16%). Similar improvements in vascular pulsatility (1,142%) and LVEW (40%) were observed in the IHF bovine model. Asynchronous modulation produces the largest vascular pulsatility with the advantage of not requiring sensor(s) for timing pump speed modulation, facilitating potential clinical implementation.