Spiral blood pump: conception, development and clinical application of the original project.

Introduction: This paper addresses an original project that encompasses the conception, development and clinical application of a helical bypass pump called the Spiral Pump, that uses the association of centrifugal and axial propulsion forces based de the Archimedes principle. This project has obtained a Brazilian Patent and an International Preliminary Report, defining it as an invention.

Methods: The aim of this work was to evaluate the hemodynamic capacity and the impact of its application on blood cells by means of experimental in vitro tests, including hydrodynamic efficiency, effect on hemolysis and flow visualization.