A heart pump
sized for children.

PediaFlow is a pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) in development: a miniature blood pump designed to provide circulatory support for children.

See how it works
The complete PediaFlow pump with its brushed gold housing, inlet, and outlet.

A single rotor at the core.

Inside the housing, one spinning rotor draws blood in at the inlet and moves it toward the outlet.

The gold housing turns to glass to reveal the rotor.

Fully magnetically levitated.

Permanent-magnet rings and one actively controlled axis suspend the rotor. It spins without touching the housing: no mechanical or hydrodynamic bearings.

U.S. Patents 9,314,557 and 10,835,652

Cutaway view: the rotor floats inside the blood path, clear of the wall, between two rings of bearing magnets, with illustrative magnetic field lines.

Blood enters at the inlet.

As the rotor turns, its impeller blades draw blood into the pump.

A close view of the inlet with illustrative streamlines entering the pump.

Stationary blades at the outlet.

Fixed stator blades guide the flow as it leaves the pump.

The stationary outlet stator blades beside illustrative streamlines.

A mixed-flow design.

Blood moves along and around the rotor in one continuous path, from inlet to outlet.

The rotor with continuous illustrative streamlines from inlet to outlet.

One compact housing.

The rotor, magnetic suspension and motor are enclosed in a single housing.

The complete gold housing closes around the pump.

Comparable in size to an AA battery.

Shown at the same scale as a standard AA battery. The rotor itself is smaller than the battery.

PediaFlow
≈ 60 mm, port to port
AA battery
50.5 × 14.5 mm
PediaFlow beside an AA battery at the same scale. The pump is about 60 mm port to port; the battery is 50.5 by 14.5 mm.
01The pump
Scroll to explore

Illustrative motion and streamlines

About PediaFlow

PediaFlow is a pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) in development. It is a miniature mixed-flow blood pump with a fully magnetically levitated rotor, designed at a scale suited to children.

Magnetic levitation
The rotor is suspended by passive permanent-magnet rings and one actively controlled axis, with no mechanical bearings.
Mixed-flow design
Blood passes along and around the rotor, then through stationary stator blades at the outlet.
Size
Approximately 60 mm from inlet port to outlet port. The rotor is smaller than an AA battery.
Patents
U.S. Patents 9,314,557 and 10,835,652, “Magnetically-levitated blood pump with optimization method enabling miniaturization.”
Status
Investigational device. PediaFlow has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not available for sale.

CAUTION — Investigational device. Limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use.

Publications

Journal articles, book chapters and conference presentations from the PediaFlow program, 2003 to 2026.

Journal articles and book chapters 17

  1. Multi-objective CFD optimization of an intermediate diffuser stage for PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Zhussupbekov M, Wu J, Burgreen GW, Stelick S, Kim J, Antaki JF. Artificial Organs. 2026;50(2):209-220.

  2. In vitro thrombosis test for ventricular assist devices

    Zhussupbekov M, Stelick S, Thanneeru R, Rajesh S, Olia SE, Borovetz HS, et al. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 2025;(217).

  3. Toward the development of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device: past, present, future

    Borovetz HS, Olia SE, Antaki JF. Applications in Engineering Science. 2022;11:100113.

  4. Preclinical performance of a pediatric mechanical circulatory support device: the PediaFlow ventricular assist device

    Olia SE, Wearden PD, Maul TM, Shankarraman V, Kocyildirim E, Snyder ST, et al. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2018;156(4):1643-1651.e7.

  5. Computational fluid dynamics-based design optimization for an implantable miniature maglev pediatric ventricular assist device

    Wu J, Antaki JF, Verkaik J, Snyder S, Ricci M. Journal of Fluids Engineering. 2012;134(4).

  6. Biocompatibility assessment of the first generation PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Johnson CA Jr, Vandenberghe S, Daly AR, Woolley JR, Snyder ST, Verkaik JE, et al. Artificial Organs. 2011;35(1):9-21.

  7. Platelet activation in ovines undergoing sham surgery or implant of the second generation PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Johnson CA Jr, Wearden PD, Kocyildirim E, Maul TM, Woolley JR, Ye SH, et al. Artificial Organs. 2011;35(6):602-13.

  8. In vitro and in vivo performance evaluation of the second developmental version of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Maul TM, Kocyildirim E, Johnson CA Jr, Daly AR, Olia SE, Woolley JR, et al. Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology. 2011;2(4):253-262.

  9. A simple, economical, and effective portable paediatric mock circulatory system

    Vandenberghe S, Shu F, Arnold DK, Antaki JF. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H. 2011;225(7):648-56.

  10. PediaFlow maglev ventricular assist device: a prescriptive design approach

    Antaki JF, Ricci MR, Verkaik JE, Snyder ST, Maul TM, Kim J, et al. Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology. 2010;1(1):104-121.

  11. Virtual fit study of pediatric heart assist system

    Drummond A, Antaki JF. Digital Human Modeling (Lecture Notes in Computer Science), Springer. 2008;71-89.

  12. Magnetic design for the PediaFlow ventricular assist device

    Noh MD, Antaki JF, Ricci M, Gardiner J, Paden D, Wu J, et al. Artificial Organs. 2008;32(2):127-35.

  13. Thermal analysis of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Gardiner JM, Wu J, Noh MD, Antaki JF, Snyder TA, Paden DB, et al. ASAIO Journal. 2007;53(1):65-73.

  14. Towards the development of a pediatric ventricular assist device

    Borovetz HS, Badylak S, Boston JR, Johnson C, Kormos R, Kameneva MV, et al. Cell Transplantation. 2006;15 Suppl 1:S69-74.

  15. Hemodynamic guidelines for design and control of a turbodynamic pediatric ventricular assist device

    Uber BE, Webber SA, Morell VO, Antaki JF. ASAIO Journal. 2006;52(4):471-8.

  16. The PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Wearden PD, Morell VO, Keller BB, Webber SA, Borovetz HS, Badylak SF, et al. Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery: Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Annual. 2006;92-8.

  17. Elimination of adverse leakage flow in a miniature pediatric centrifugal blood pump by computational fluid dynamics-based design optimization

    Wu J, Antaki JF, Wagner WR, Snyder TA, Paden BE, Borovetz HS. ASAIO Journal. 2005;51(5):636-43.

Conference presentations and abstracts 53

  1. Initial in-vivo validation of the 5th generation PediaFlow fully-magnetically-levitated axial flow pediatric VAD

    Antaki JF, Stelick S, Olia SE, Zhussupbekov M, Havriliak R, Verkaik J, et al. ASAIO 70th Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD, 2024. ASAIO Journal 70(10). Poster

  2. In vitro assessment of hemolysis and von Willebrand factor degradation in the fifth generation magnetically levitated PediaFlow ventricular assist device

    Zhussupbekov M, Stelick S, Havriliak R, Ko H, Baer O, Lederman J, et al. ASAIO 70th Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD, 2024. ASAIO Journal 70(10). Poster

  3. PEDS1: The PediaFlow baby VAD is back, baby!

    Antaki JF, Stelick SE, Wu J, Verkaik JE, Rowlands GW, Olia SE, et al. ASAIO 67th Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2022. ASAIO Journal 68(Suppl 2):68. Podium

  4. PEDS6: Virtual anatomic fit study of PediaFlow implantable VAD in infants (4 kg to 8 kg)

    Thanneeru R, Borovetz HS, Antaki JF. ASAIO 67th Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2022. ASAIO Journal 68(Suppl 2):71. Podium

  5. PEDS15: Evaluation of vWF degradation in the PediaFlow fully magnetically levitated pediatric ventricular assist device

    Rowlands GW, Schirmacher S, Stelick SE, Antaki JF. ASAIO 67th Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2022. ASAIO Journal 68(Suppl 2):77. Podium

  6. PEDS18: Automated CFD shape optimization of stator blades for the PediaFlow pediatric VAD

    Zhussupbekov M, Antaki JF. ASAIO 67th Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2022. ASAIO Journal 68(Suppl 2):80. Podium

  7. P61: CFD optimization of PediaFlow PF5 miniature maglev pediatric ventricular assist device for clinic use

    Wu J, Stelick SE, Zhussupbekov M, Olia SE, Borovetz HS, Antaki JF. ASAIO 67th Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2022. ASAIO Journal 68(Suppl 2):128. Poster

  8. The long and strange trip from bench to bedside: lessons learned from the PediaFlow magnetically levitated rotodynamic blood pump

    Antaki JF. BMES Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, 2014.

  9. The PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device: finalization of cannula and rotor design

    Maul TM, Trumble DR, Wearden PD, Wu J, Verkaik J, Snyder S, et al. Gordon Research Conference on Assisted Circulation, Waterville Valley, NH, 2011.

  10. Hemorheological performance of the 3rd generation PediaFlow VAD

    Olia SE, Daly AR, Maul TM, Wearden PD, Antaki JF, Borovetz HS, et al. Gordon Research Conference on Assisted Circulation, Waterville Valley, NH, 2011. Poster

  11. Development of a novel inflow cannula for the PediaFlow continuous flow VAD

    Antaki JF, Maul TM, Trumble DR, Verkaik J, Martin A, Woodard J, et al. International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Louisville, KY, 2011.

  12. Computational design of the fourth PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Antaki JF, Wu J, Maul TM, Borovetz HS; PediaFlow Consortium. ASAIO Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2011.

  13. In silico design and in vivo analysis of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Maul TM, Antaki JF, Wu J, Kim J, Kameneva MV, Olia SE, et al. ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference, 2011. SBC2011-53241.

  14. The PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Wearden PD, Maul TM, Wu J, Verkaik J, Snyder S, Ricci M, et al. International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, San Diego, CA, 2011.

  15. Pediatric mechanical circulatory support: design and development of the PediaFlow ventricular assist device

    Maul TM, Antaki JF, Kocyildirim E, Daly AR, Johnson CA, Olia S, et al. World Congress of Biomechanics, Singapore, 2010.

  16. PediaFlow pre-IDE application: finalizing the design and testing of the PediaFlow pediatric VAD in anticipation of clinical trial in 2013

    Antaki JF, Maul TM, Ricci M, Snyder S, Verkaik J, Wearden PD; PediaFlow Consortium. International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Berlin, 2010.

  17. Pre-clinical assessment of the 3rd PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device prototype

    Maul TM, Kocyildirim E, Daly AR, Johnson CA, Olia S, Paden D, et al. ASAIO Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD, 2010.

  18. Development of a 2nd generation data acquisition platform for the PediaFlow VAD

    Olia S, Maul TM, Ferreira A, Antaki JF, Borovetz HS, Kameneva MV. ASAIO Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD, 2010.

  19. Simulation-based automatic optimization of the PediaFlow ventricular assist device

    Kim J, Antaki JF. FDA/NHLBI/NSF Workshop on Computer Methods for Cardiovascular Devices, Rockville, MD, 2010. Podium

  20. In vivo evaluation of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD)

    Wearden PD, Maul TM, Kocyildirim E, Daly AR, Johnson CA, Olia S, et al. 26th Annual Children's National Medical Center Symposium: ECMO and Advanced Therapies for Respiratory Failure, Keystone, CO, 2010.

  21. Pre-clinical assessment of the 3rd PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) prototype

    Maul TM, Kocyildirim E, Daly AR, Johnson CA, Woolley JR, Paden B, et al. Sixth International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion, Boston, MA, 2010.

  22. Miniaturization of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Antaki JF, Khanwilkar P, Ricci M, Snyder S, Verkaik J, Paden D, et al. International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Singapore, 2009.

  23. Development of the PediaFlow, a fully implantable magnetically levitated pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD)

    Maul TM, Wearden PD, Kocyildirim E, Daly AR, Johnson CA, Woolley J, et al. 33rd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Pediatric Cardiology Society, Pittsburgh, PA, 2009.

  24. In vivo hemorheological assessment of biocompatibility of PediaFlow VAD: comparison with sham implants

    Daly AR, Olia SE, Bengston SG, Maul TM, Wearden PD, Borovetz HS, et al. BMES Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, 2009.

  25. Comparison of hemolysis in the PediaFlow VAD between Eulerian method and Lagrangian method by computational fluid dynamics

    Kim J, Hund S, Maul T, Daly A, Borovetz H, Kameneva M, et al. BMES Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, 2009.

  26. In vivo evaluation of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD)

    Maul TM, Wearden PD, Kocyildirim E, Daly AR, Johnson CA, Woolley J, et al. BMES Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, 2009.

  27. Development of a data logging platform for the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Olia SE, Ferreira A, Maul TM, Antaki JF, Borovetz HS. BMES Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, 2009.

  28. Miniaturization of the PediaFlow pediatric VAD

    Maul TM, Snyder S, Verkaik J, Ricci M, Shu F, Daly AR, et al. ASAIO Annual Conference, Dallas, TX, 2009. ASAIO Journal 55(2):158.

  29. Computational fluid dynamic shape optimization of the PediaFlow VAD

    Kim J, Antaki J. ASAIO Annual Conference, Dallas, TX, 2009. ASAIO Journal 55(2):155.

  30. Simulation-based design and optimization of the PediaFlow VAD

    Kim J, Antaki J. FDA/NHLBI/NSF Workshop on Computer Methods for Medical Devices, 2009. Poster

  31. Eulerian method for numerical prediction of hemolysis in PediaFlow VAD

    Kim J, Hund SJ, Daly A, Kameneva MV, Antaki JF. Fifth International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion, Dallas, TX, 2009.

  32. In vivo evaluation of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Wearden PD, Maul TM, Kocyildirim E, Daly AR, Johnson CA, Woolley J, et al. Fifth International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion, Dallas, TX, 2009.

  33. The PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Paden BE, Wu J, Noh MD, Paden D, Ricci M, Snyder S, et al. ASME 3rd Frontiers in Biomedical Devices Conference, 2008. 53-54.

  34. In vitro and in vivo testing of the PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Wearden PD, Johnson CA, Woolley JR, Antaki JF, Arnold D, Bachman TN, et al. ASAIO 54th Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA, 2008.

  35. Development and initial in vivo evaluation of the PediaFlow ventricular assist device

    Woolley J, Antaki J, Arnold D, Bachman T, Bearnson G, Drummond A, et al. Gordon Research Conference on Assisted Circulation, Big Sky, MT, 2007. Poster

  36. Computational study of hemodynamic characteristics of magnetically levitated PediaFlow VAD

    Wu J, Antaki JF, Shu F, Vandenberghe S, Paden D, Paden BE, et al. ASAIO 53rd Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, 2007.

  37. Development of the PediaFlow VAD for infants and small children

    Wearden PD, Antaki JF, Arnold DK, Bachman T, Badylak SF, Bearnson G, et al. ASAIO 53rd Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, 2007.

  38. Development of the PediaFlow ventricular assist device for infants and small children

    Antaki JF, et al. Third International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion, Hershey, PA, 2007.

  39. Development of the PediaFlow ventricular assist device for infants and small children

    Antaki J, Arnold D, Bachman T, Bearnson G, Borovetz H, Drummond A, et al. Heart Failure in Children, Laguna Beach, CA, 2006.

  40. Development of the PediaFlow ventricular assist device for infants and small children

    Antaki JF, et al. ASAIO Annual Conference, 2006. ASAIO Journal 52(2).

  41. CFD-based optimization of magnetically levitated PediaFlow ventricular assist device

    Wu J, Antaki JF, Gardiner J, Paden D, Paden BE, Borovetz H. ASAIO Annual Conference, 2006. ASAIO Journal 52(2):43A.

  42. Pathway to the first generation PediaFlow VAD

    Antaki J, Arnold D, Bachman T, Bearnson G, Borovetz H, Gardiner J, et al. International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Leuven, Belgium, 2006.

  43. Three-dimensional virtual anatomic fit study for an implantable pediatric ventricular assist device

    Drummond A, Bachman T, Antaki J. International Conference on Computational Science (ICCS 2006), Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2006. 855-861.

  44. Magnetic levitation design for the PediaFlow ventricular assist device

    Noh D, Antaki JF, Prem EK, Borovetz HS, Paden BE. IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM 2005), Monterey, CA, 2005.

  45. Progress with PediaFlow maglev pump for infants and small children: form to function

    Wu J, Antaki JF, Borovetz HS, Bearnson GB, Boston JR, Diao C, et al. ASAIO Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2005. ASAIO Journal 51(2).

  46. CFD analysis of blade tip clearances on hemodynamic performance and blood damage in a miniature pediatric blood pump

    Antaki JF, Wu J, Snyder TA, Wagner WR, Borovetz HS, Paden BE, et al. ASAIO Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2005. ASAIO Journal 51(2):44A.

  47. Elimination of reversal flow in back clearance gaps of a miniature pediatric centrifugal blood pump by CFD

    Wu J, Antaki JF, Snyder TA, Wagner WR, Borovetz HS, Paden BE, et al. ASAIO Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2005. ASAIO Journal 51(2).

  48. Thermodynamic analysis of PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

    Snyder S, Paden B, Antaki J, Borovetz HS. First International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion, Hershey, PA, 2005.

  49. Rational prescriptive design of pediatric VADs

    Antaki J. First International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion, Hershey, PA, 2005. Invited

  50. Development of ventricular assist devices for infants and small children

    Snyder TA, Antaki JF, Bearnson G, Boston R, Chen C, Gandhi S, et al. ASAIO Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2004.

  51. Development of a ventricular assist device for infants and small children

    Borovetz HS, Antaki JF, Bearnson G, Boston R, Chen C, Gandhi S, et al. Gordon Research Conference on Assisted Circulation, Big Sky, MT, 2004. Poster

  52. Pediatric blood pumps of Pittsburgh

    Antaki JF. International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Cleveland, OH, 2004. Invited

  53. Miniature maglev centrifugal pump for infants and small children: initial progress

    Antaki JF, Bearnson GB, Borovetz HS, Boston JR, Chen C, Gandhi SK, et al. International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Aachen, Germany, 2003.