There are several parts within the CentriMag™ and PediMag™ systems.

Cannula

During VAD surgery, your heart surgeon will place cannulas that are special tubes made of a very soft silicone material. These soft cannulas will come out of your lower chest area just below your breastbone. Your heart has two pumping chambers, a left ventricle and a right ventricle. Your cardiologist and surgeon will decide if you need support on just one ventricle or both. If you only need support for one ventricle, you will have two cannulas. If you need support for both ventricles, you will need four cannulas.

Circuit

The circuit is clear tubing that connects the cannulae to the blood pump allowing the blood to circulate.

Blood Pump

The blood pump is a round disc with fins called an impeller.  As the impeller spins, it pulls blood out of the weak ventricle through the circuit and then pushes the blood back out to the rest of the body. There are two different pump sizes. The PediMag™ is the smaller device, generally used for infants and toddlers.

Console

The electronic console allows the care team to control the speed of the impeller, monitor how the device is working and troubleshoot any alarms.