Case Study: Total Artificial Heart

Disease Application: End-Stage Heart Disease

Client: Penn State University/Hershey Medical Center

Background
Penn State University and the Hershey Medical Center have been investigating and developing artificial heart technology for several decades. Minnetronix has supported Penn State by providing software and electronics development expertise on their Electric Total Artificial Heart program. The Penn State heart is a total heart, intended for heart patients with end-stage heart disease who are ineligible or unlikely to receive a human heart transplant.

What Minnetronix Did

• Project management and systems engineering
• Embedded software and electronics design
• External programmer design
• Design verification testing
• Prototype unit assembly and test
• Risk and reliability analysis and testing

Technology Applications

• Fail-safe electronics and software control
• Transcutaneous energy transmission system
• Design for electrical safety
• Brushless DC motor control
• Custom secondary battery pack and charger
• High reliability system and components
• Design for high reliability
• Telemetry