Internal Devices in a Transcutaneous Energy Transmission System for an Artificial Heart

In a transcutaneous energy transmission system for a totally implantable artificial heart, it is necessary that the efficiency of the implantable devices be improved and the temperature rise be minimized. In this paper, we first discuss the properties of Li-ion and Ni-MH batteries for driving an artificial heart, and then consider driving methods for a vibrating flow pump that is used in some electromagnetic artificial hearts. A pump using asymmetrical-wave voltage is 1-4% more efficient than one driven by square-wave voltage.