Evaluation of the Tamari-Kaplitt LVAD.

Experience with a modern inexpensive, unichambered heparinized "left ventricular assist device" in the closed chest unheparinized dog is described. The pumps were driven with EKG activated air drives. These functioned well. The major physiologic problems were absolute limitation of inflow and late mural and valve disk thrombus formation at pump times approaching 5 to 6 hrs, under the limitations of the experiment. The inexpensiveness of this LVAD, its obvious practicality in terms of application as a counter pulsator in human open heart surgery and now in experimental animals, provides some hope that an inexpensive, practical, functional preanticoagulated LVAD of this type may ultimately result in a significant improvement in the utility and cost effectiveness of this approach to left ventricular failure.