98 results about "Ventricular assist device" patented technology

A pumping system 10 provides a physiological pulsatile flow and includes controller 121, a pump drive head 50 coupled to a motor 12 and a fluid housing 52 having at least one port 60. The port 60 includes a ball valve retainer region 69, a valve seat 73, and an occluder ball 71 disposed in the ball valve retainer region 69. During operation, the motor 12 forces the fluid in and out the fluid housing 52 and causes the occluder ball 71 to move from a first position whereby the fluid cannot pass through the port 60, to a second position whereby the fluid moves annular to and generally around the occluder ball 71. This movement creates a slight flow reversal that “breaks up” any blood clots that may form. The pumping system may be used as part of a cardiopulmonary bypass system, a ventricular assist device (VAD) and/or a heart pump.

The invention is a kit for a permanent ventricular assist device that can be permanently implanted into the circulatory system of a patient. The kit comprises one or more passive cores (Pcore), a stator, a power supply, and a controller unit. The inventors have realized that major open heart surgery, generally used for implementing a magnetic blood pump in the circulatory system, can be wholly avoided if the rotor and the stator are physically separated and are implanted respectively inside and around the blood vessel at the location of interest. Therefore the kit is characterized in that the one or more Pcores are configured to allow them to be implanted inside a blood vessel and the stator is configure to enable it to be placed outside of the blood vessel surrounding the Pcores. Also described are illustrative medical procedures for implanting the components of the kit at different locations in the body.

A ventricular assist device (“VAD”) includes a continuous-flow pump (2) implantable in fluid communication with a ventricle (V) and an artery (A) of a patient to assist blood flow from the ventricle to the artery. The VAD also includes a control circuit (12) connected to the pump, the control circuit being configured to direct the pump to operate in a series of cycles. Each cycle may include (i) pumping blood at a first speed (RPM₁) and at a first flow rate during a first period (t₁); then (ii) decreasing the speed of the pump from the first speed to a second speed (RPM₂) during a ramp-down period (t_RD); then (iii) pumping blood at the second speed and at a second flow rate during a second period (t₂); and then (iv) increasing the speed of the pump from the second speed to the first speed during a ramp-up period (t_RU).

A percutaneous intra-aortic ventricular assist device is adapted for implantation in an aorta that has a luminal wall, and includes a tubular stent body, an inner tubular body, a vane member, a carrier member, a rib unit, a first pulled string, a second pulled string, an alternately pulling mechanism, and a synchronizing member.

The present invention is a conduit device designed to be placed within a wall of a heart, such as through a prepared opening or hole in the heart wall. The conduit is hollow and extends to form a sleeve over a portion of the heart pump, such as a VAD, which traverses the heart wall and enters a chamber of the heart. The conduit provides for a simplified and noninvasive approach to removal and/or replacement of the heart pump.

A mounting ring for a ventricular assist device or other device used in the heart includes a plate adapted to be secured to the exterior of the heart by rigid anchors such as hook, pin, or screw. When hooks are used, they can be pivotally mounted to the plate so that the hooks can rotate from retracted positions to advanced positions. A tool can be included in a mounting ring kit to move the hooks from their retracted positions to their advanced positions so that the hooks secure the plate to the heart. Preferably, all of the hooks are advanced simultaneously. The VAD or other device is then secured to the plate. The plate can be mounted to the heart in less time than required to install a traditional mounting ring by suturing to the heart.

An automatic driving travel controller (103) implements automatic travel control for causing a vehicle to travel automatically on the basis of travel state information of the vehicle and vehicle outside information. An automatic drive mode for implementing the automatic travel control by the automatic drive travel controller (103) and a manual drive mode for implementing manual drive by a driver are switchable by an automatic/manual travel change-over switch (111). A drive posture control controller (113) controls a reclining motor (21) so as to increase a reclining angle of the driver's seat in the automatic drive mode from a reclining angle of the driver's seat in the manual drive mode.

The present invention generally relates to ventricular assist device power monitoring and conservation. In some embodiments, a pump controller may transition the pump to operate in a power-saving operational mode when a power source and/or a power source condition indicate a need to conserve power. In some embodiments, when the power source is an emergency battery and when the emergency battery has powered the pump for an extended period of time, the controller may signal the pump to operate in the power saving-operational mode. In some embodiments, when a low power hazard condition is triggered by signals from one or more external power sources, the controller may signal the pump to transition to the power-saving operational mode if the condition lasts for an extended period of time. In some embodiments, the controller may trigger the power-saving mode when the emergency backup battery is below a voltage threshold.

In a centrifugal flow blood pump, usable in left ventricular assist applications, blood is pumped from an inlet (16) to an outlet (22) by a primary impeller (18). A portion of the blood that enters the pump follows a secondary channel (24) where a secondary impeller (70) routes the blood to lubricate a bearing between an impeller assembly (14) and a post formed by a component of the pump housing. The unique shape of the secondary impeller (70) prevents blood stagnation and provides for a well-washed fluid bearing.

A system and method for cardiac assist of a heart. The system comprises a catheter on which is mounted an inflatable balloon configured for inflation inside a ventricle. The system preferably includes a fluid pump and a processor configured to activate the pump to inflate the intra-ventricular balloon in the ventricle during a predetermined first phase of the cardiac cycle and to deflate the balloon during a predetermined second phase of the cardiac cycle. The predetermined first phase may be the end of the slow ejection phase corresponding to the ascending part of the T wave, and the predetermined second phase may begin at the peak of systolic augmentation resulting from inflation of the balloon which corresponds to the descending part of the T-wave. The method of the invention includes delivering the balloon to a ventricle of the heart and transiently inflating the balloon to achieve a predetermined intra-ventricular systolic pressure

An implantable bi-ventricular heart stimulating device has a control circuit that within a time cycle, delivers pacing pulses with both first and second pacing circuits with a time gap between a pacing pulse delivered by these pacing circuits. The time gap can be such that a pacing pulse delivered by the second pacing circuits falls substantially within a first time interval in which an evoked response can be expected to a pacing pulse delivered by the first pacing circuit. The control circuit performs a temporary modification of the operation of the device such that during at least one time cycle no pacing pulse is delivered by the second pacing circuit during the first time interval.

Apparatus for attaching a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to a heart, the apparatus comprising: a connector conduit comprising: a distal end, a proximal end and a lumen extending between the distal end and the proximal end, wherein the distal end is configured to be inserted into a wall of the heart, and the proximal end is configured to receive the LVAD, whereby hemostasis is maintained during insertion of the connector conduit into the wall of the heart and during insertion of the LVAD into the proximal end of the connector conduit.

An apparatus and method of temporarily replacing the function of the left ventricle in a patient whose heart is severely injured and is unable to maintain a systemic arterial pressure adequate to support the inside walls of patient's aorta, the method comprising a removable pressurizable support means having an external profile which is expandable to fit firmly against the inside wall of the aorta of a patient, wherein the external profile of the pressurizable support means presents a central opening that allows blood to flow through the aorta. The pressurizable support means can both support and expand the aorta under low blood pressure to assist the drawing of blood from the left ventricle. The central opening also allows for the placement of a blood flow control means. The blood flow control means can comprise a pumping balloon and a proximal blocking balloon, the two members pressurized and depressurized in opposition within the aorta of a patient to simulate systole and diastole of a healthy heart. The pumping balloon has a pressurized pumping position that is engaged while the proximal blocking balloon is in a depressurized deflated position.

Blood pumps for ventricular assist devices employ a hollow rotor to impel blood through the blood pump. A blood pump includes a housing having a housing inlet, a housing outlet, and a housing blood flow channel through which the housing inlet and the housing outlet are in fluid communication. A motor stator is disposed around the housing blood flow channel and operable to generate a rotating magnetic field. A hollow rotor is disposed within the housing blood flow channel and rotated via the rotating magnetic field. The hollow rotor has a rotor circumferential wall enclosing a rotor blood flow channel. The hollow rotor has at least one rotor blade extending inwardly from the rotor circumferential wall. The at least one rotor blade is configured to impel blood through the rotor blood flow channel when the hollow rotor is rotated via the rotating magnetic field.

The invention generally relates to heart pump systems. In some embodiments, a pressure sensor is provided with a heart pump, either at the inflow or the outflow of the blood pump. The heart pump may further include a flow estimator based on a rotor drive current signal delivered to the rotor. Based on the rotor drive current signal, a differential pressure across the pump may be calculated. The differential pressure in combination with the pressure measurements from the pressure sensor may be used to calculate pressure on the opposite side of the pump from the pressure sensor. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor is located at the outflow of the pump and the pump is coupled with the left ventricle. The differential pressure and pressure measurement may be used to calculate a left ventricular pressure waveform of the patient. With such a measurement, other physiological parameters may be derived.