Numerical Computation Can Save Life: FEM Simulations for the Development of Artificial Hearts

Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death worldwide. In conjunction with the restricted heart transplants due to the limited number of donor hearts, artificial hearts (AH) are the only therapy available for terminal heart diseases. Starting from the first design of an AH to its implantation into a human body, the AH has to pass several clinical trials, which result in redesigns and optimizations respectively. During this process, the dimensions, the weight and the required electromagnetic forces of the AH as well as blood damage, caused e.g. by shear forces or overheating, have to be considered. Thus, a coupling of analytical and numerical approaches permits an accurate design process to investigate force characteristics and losses of the drive. This contribution will give an example of an existing AH and provides exemplary the adoption of analytical and numerical approaches for the design of an AH developed by the authors. The presented heart prototype was already in operation during clinical animal tests.