An implantable artificial heart apparatus which has no moving parts. It
employs the technology of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) to induce flow of
human blood. An MHD propulsion unit is a device which applies magnetic
and electric fields to blood to propel the conductive fluid through the
body's circulatory system. Electricity is passed through the blood via
electrodes at the same junction where the blood is exposed to the
magnetic field. Charged ions that move from anode to cathode create their
own corresponding magnetic fields which are either attracted or repelled
by the externally applied magnetic field. The result is propulsion in a
uniform direction with the moving ions, in effect, dragging fluid
molecules with them. A single MHD propulsion unit performs the combined
functions of the atrium and the ventricle of the human heart. Two MHD
propulsion units are required to perform the full cardiac cycle of the
heart, one to pump unoxygenated blood through the lungs and one to pump
oxygenated blood through the body's circulatory system.