The treatment of children with heart failure is a formidable challenge. Heart transplantation, when available,
becomes the only lifesaving option. Children could benefit from a blood pump: a medical device designed
to assist the ailing heart with pumping blood. Blood pumps for children, however, lag behind those for
adults. While adult devices have been employed in children, the operation of these adult pumps off-design
increases the risk of blood cell damage and clotting. Pediatric patients have limited options due to the
anatomy of childhood heart disease and increased cardiovascular demands of physical growth. To address
this unmet clinical need, we have innovated The Dragon Heart, which uniquely integrates multiple pediatric
blood pumps. This compact device (60mm x 50mm) suspends the pumps in a magnetic field, thus
facilitating a long operational lifespan and lower blood cell trauma. We performed high-quality modeling
of two new pump designs, which produced target performance; 40-180 mmHg for 0.5-4 L/min at 2000-
3000 RPM. Internal fluid forces were below 2.5 N, and fluid stresses were at acceptable levels. This work
serves as the foundation for the next phase of prototype benchtop testing, moving toward animal studies.
