Berlin Heart Excor und Medos-System

The pneumatically operated mechanical circulatory assist devices available in the cardiac surgery clinic at Grosshadern Clinic are the Berlin Heart Excor and the Medos System. Both systems can assist one ventricle in isolation or both ventricles together. The pumps themselves consist of a blood chamber and air chamber, which are separated by a mobile diaphragm. If suction is applied to the air chamber via an attached tubing system, the diaphragm moves towards the chamber wall and blood is sucked actively into the blood chamber. When the blood chamber is filled, compressed air is pumped into the air chamber and the blood chamber empties. The direction of blood flow is regulated through artificial heart valves at the inlet and outflow stubs of the pump chamber. The inflow cannulas of these systems are fixed in the atria and the outflow cannulas are anastomosed to the pulmonary artery and ascending artery. The implanted cannulas are brought out through the skin below the ribcage and connected to the pericorporeal pumps.