Soviet-American Collaboration on the Development of an Artificial Heart and Mechanical Circulatory Assistance

Summary: Soviet-American collaboration has resulted in more in-depth studies on the artificial heart and assisted circulation during the period of 1974–1980. The American investigators received assemblies for the Kedr (with atria and volume capacity gauges) and the Poisk and Module (without atria) artificial heart, and the pneumatic drive and automatic control system for the three artificial heart models. The Soviet investigators received from the Baylor College of Medicine the artificial heart assembly including the Vitamek pneumatic drive for the artificial heart, the biomaterials Avcothane and biomer for preparation of the artificial heart parts, and a vacuum molder for fabricating the housings of the artificial ventricles. The artificial hearts were tested on hydrodynamic benches and in animal experiments (the American artificial hearts were tested in the U.S.S.R., and the Soviet artificial hearts in the U.S.A.). Comparative study on the hydrodynamic bench, conducted according to a jointly developed, standardized method, showed that the Module artificial heart had the best flow characteristics. Valuable information was obtained concerning the Vitamek pneumatic drive and the automatic control systems, as well as the balloon pumps and drives manufactured in the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A.