Efficient low flow pump for pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Project Summary The goal of this STTR proposal submission is to develop a new extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) pump designed to efficiently accommodate the low flow rates needed for pediatric and neonatal patients. In smaller pediatric patients including toddlers and neonates we need ECMO pumps that can operate at lower blood flow rates to avoid the destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis), shear stress, and platelet activation. For this project, based on the needs of our neonatal intensive care unit and carbon dioxide removal, we propose to design, develop, and test a low-flow pump that can operate from 0.05 to 0.5 L/min (equivalent to 50 to 500 cc/min) for use in our neonatal patients and patients who require carbon dioxide removal. This flow rate is an order of magnitude less than current pump designs and should significantly reduce hemolysis and other centrifugal pump effects. Aim 1 – Pump Modelling, Design, and Construction: the pump design will be created to meet the flow rate specifications of 0.05 to 0.5 L/min. Dr. Wu and his team at the University of Maryland will utilize computational fluid modeling (CFD) to develop the pump with the optimal geometry parameters, such as impeller size and volute diameter to provide high efficiency and good biocompatibility (low hemolysis and thrombosis potential). Milestone: system bench tested for proper operation at low flow rates using distilled water. Aim 2 – Evaluate the Device through Comparative Blood Flow Testing: tests will be conducted within the research laboratories at Children’s National to compare the performance of the new device to the current standard-of-care pump models. These tests will examine the flow of blood through each pump at different designated rates and measure the index of hemolysis based on plasma free hemoglobin (PFH) levels. Milestone: hemolysis reduced by 20% at low flow rates compared to current models.