Wireless heart pump technology

Scientists at the University of Auckland have developed a technology to power a wireless heart pump that could save the lives of thousands of heart patients, and eventually offer an alternative to heart transplants.

The wireless heart pump uses magnetic fields to transfer power through a person’s skin rather than using wire cables. The pump can be powered this way 24 hours a day for a person’s lifetime.

The new technology came out of collaboration between scientists from the University of Auckland’s Bioengineering Institute, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Physiology.

A new company, TETCor, was created to take the technology to market for powering a wide range of devices implanted in the human body.

Dr Simon Malpas, chief executive officer at TETCor, said that heart pumps need a huge amount of power, and traditionally, the only way to power them was through a wire cable that went through a patient’s stomach and chest.

But, he said, these wires cause serious infections in about 40 per cent of patients. The wires are also prone to breaking and restrict a patient’s activities.