VARIATIONS IN BATTERY LIFE OF A HEART LUNG MACHINE UNDER DIFFERENT LOADS AND PUMP SPEEDS AND BATTERY AGE
M. HARGROVE, FCCP, C. MARSHALL, BSc
ACP, A. O’DONNELL, FRSCI, T. AHERNE, FRSCI
Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
ABSTRACT
Electrical failure during cardiopulmonary bypass has been well documented (Ref
.1). Recently most heart lung machines are equipped with an inbuilt battery
back- up unit. Battery run times of these devices are variable and have not been
reported before. Our study was designed to examine the run time of a fully
charged battery under various conditions of differing pump speeds, pressure
loads, pump boot material, age of battery, and battery life using multiple pumps.
The results of our study suggest that, battery life is influenced by pump speed,
circuit pressure, boot stiffness and the number of pumps in service. Battery age
does not have a noticeable effect on battery life. These guidelines can help the
team to decide which components can be shut down to conserve battery life in the
event of power failure.
REFERENCE
1: Hargrove M, Ramish BC, O’Donnell A, Aherne T. Electrical failure during
cardiopulmonary bypass: an evaluation of incidence, causes, management and
guidelines for preventative measures. Perfusion. 2002 Sep;17(5):369-72.