Novel Sensor Integration Approach for Blood Pressure Sensing in Ventricular Assist Devices

An application-specific approach for sensor integration for continuous blood pressure sensing in ventricular assist devices (VAD) is introduced. The piezoresistive absolute pressure sensor is to be located within the VAD's inflow cannula's sidewall. This diaphragm is fabricated by suspending a Parylene-C coating, covering the entirety of the cannula's interior, over a preformed recess. The recess is later sealed from the outside of the cannula, enclosing a silicone oil as pressure transmission liquid and a digital pressure sensor. First characterization measurements show that the resulting sensor assembly behaves linearly and has an absolute measurement error below 104:2Pa (0:21% FS) at a measurement range of 80 kPa-130kPa.