Design Mentor
Pelham, N.H.-based Design Mentor won for its VentriFlo True Pulse pump, an extracorporeal blood pump for short-term cardiopulmonary support of pediatric open-heart surgery patients requiring full or partial cardiopulmonary bypass.
Unlike current continuous flow technologies, VentriFlo delivers complete stroke volume, natural cadence, and physiologic rest, just like the human heart, according to the VentriFlo website. VentriFlo is a single-use, scalable pump with flexible membrane, plastic housing and valves. Its pump driver is a linear electromagnetic motor that couples directly to the membrane driving the biomimetic waveform. Its control console is a small, electronic system that directs the pump driver based upon pre-defined waveform algorithms and user input.