Pulsating versus steady blood flow from a new artificial heart
Official title: Blood Trauma, Vascular Remodeling, and Vasoregulation with Total Body Continuous Versus Pulsatile Artificial Circulation
Funded at Geisinger Clinic · NIH-11166437 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests pulsating versus steady blood flow from a new total artificial heart to learn how each affects blood damage, blood vessels, and blood pressure for people with advanced heart failure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Geisinger Clinic NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Danville, United States) |
| Project start | August 9, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $641,925 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL172022-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11166437 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with advanced, life-threatening heart failure who require ventricular assist devices or a total artificial heart would be the patients most likely to benefit from this line of work in the future.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not need mechanical circulatory support or who cannot receive an artificial heart would not directly benefit from this research.
What this research studies
Researchers are using a new total artificial heart (BiVACOR) that can run either with steady flow or with pulsating flow made by changing the pump speed, and they will compare the two modes in long-term animal models. They will measure markers of blood trauma, examine arterial structure and remodeling, and test how blood vessels regulate pressure and tone. The team will also look for signs that pulsatility reduces bleeding, clots, diastolic hypertension, and stroke risk compared with non-pulsatile support. These animal findings would guide whether pulsatile settings could be safer and improve quality of life for people who need mechanical circulatory support.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to artificial heart devices or pump settings that reduce bleeding and clotting problems and protect blood vessels for people with severe heart failure.
How similar studies have gone: Emerging work on creating pulsatility by modulating pump speed has shown promise in early studies, but full-body comparisons with the same device are novel and human evidence remains limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Geisinger Clinic
Danville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bartoli, Carlo R — Geisinger Clinic
- Study coordinator: Bartoli, Carlo R
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.