The TandemHeart Pump acts with the THTC-EF Cannula to unload the left side of the heart. Because oxygenated blood is withdrawn from the left atrium, the atrium has to do less work to move the blood to the ventricle.

Because the blood which flows through the Pump does not have to go through the left ventricle, the left ventricle also has to do less work to move the blood to the aorta. Since it is the left side of the heart that is most commonly compromised, the TandemHeart Pump is able to support the heart's task of pumping blood through the body.

The patented Pump is a very low prime volume (10cc) centrifugal pump driven by a three phase, brushless, DC servomotor capable of delivering up to 5.0 liters/min of blood flow. Instead of using conventional mechanical roller bearings, this design features a hydrodynamic fluid bearing that supports the spinning rotor. The fluid bearing is supplied by a unique lubrication system which feeds a nominal 10 cc/hr of saline to which an anticoagulant (typically heparin) has been added. The fluid acts as a coolant and lubricant for the seal which separates the rotor chamber from the blood chamber, and the anticoagulant is delivered to the blood chamber precisely at the seal interface to minimize the risk of thrombus formation.

View the Shockwave file of TandemHeart Pump in motion.