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Figure 1 The microaxial blood pump has an outer diameter of 6.4 mm and is driven by a miniaturized electrical motor incorporated in the housing. The cannula (upper panel) is placed across the aortic valve, and the pump aspirates the blood from the left ventricular cavity to expel it in the ascending aorta. A differential pressure sensor (lower panel) continuously measures the pressure difference between the inflow and outflow of the pump and allows the calculation of the produced pump flow.