Balloon Pump System With Expandable Cannula For High Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood pumps for percutaneous insertion face limitations in blood flow rate due to size constraints and pressure drops associated with input valves, which increase cost and reliability issues while providing undesirable resistance to blood flow.
Innovation Solution
A balloon pump system with an expandable cannula and a balloon that inflates and deflates to enhance blood flow rates, eliminating the need for input valves by using a balloon to block fluid communication during the pumping phase and allowing percutaneous insertion into arteries, with an anchoring device to support the pump in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If input valves are used in balloon pumps to control blood flow direction, then blood flow direction control is improved, but device complexity and cost increase, reliability decreases, and resistance to blood flow increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the input valve component entirely from the balloon pump system. Instead of using a valve to control blood flow direction into the pumping chamber, the system relies on the balloon's inflation/deflation cycle and the natural pressure gradients in the circulatory system to achieve unidirectional flow, thereby eliminating the complexity and resistance associated with input valves
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a compliant pumping chamber that acts as an intermediary between the balloon and the arterial system. This chamber accommodates the volume changes during balloon inflation/deflation cycles and facilitates blood flow without requiring mechanical valves, using the compliance of the chamber walls to manage pressure and flow dynamics
2Object-affected harmful factors
If percutaneous insertion method is used to insert blood pumps, then invasiveness is reduced, but blood flow rate is limited due to size constraints of small diameter tubes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic expandable cannula that transitions from a compressed state during percutaneous insertion to an expanded state once positioned in the artery. This allows the device to pass through small access points while providing a large lumen for high blood flow rates during operation, effectively decoupling the insertion size constraint from the operational flow capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable cannula is designed to be nested within a delivery catheter during insertion, similar to a nested doll structure. The cannula is compressed within the catheter for percutaneous access, then deployed and expanded at the target site, allowing small insertion profile while achieving large operational dimensions for high blood flow
3Ease of operation
If small diameter tubes are used in percutaneous blood pumps, then percutaneous insertion is enabled, but pressure drops become significant and blood flow rate is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a dynamic expandable cannula that transitions from a small compressed diameter during insertion to a large expanded diameter during operation. This dynamic size change allows the device to achieve both percutaneous insertability and low pressure drop performance by providing a large lumen area for blood flow once deployed, eliminating the pressure drop penalty associated with small diameter tubes
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves higher blood flow rates without the need for input valves, reducing resistance and cost, while allowing for efficient percutaneous insertion and operation, effectively addressing the limitations of traditional blood pumps.
Implementation Method 1
blocking fluid communication between the distal section and the pumping section when the balloon is inflated
Data Source
AI summary
A pump system is disclosed for pumping blood from a patient's right atrium or right ventricle to a patient's pulmonary artery, the pump system including a distal section having at least one outlet; a pumping section in fluid communication with the distal section to provide blood to the outlet of the distal section, the pumping section having at least one inlet valve to receive blood; and a pump constructed and arranged to be positioned within the pumping section to draw blood into the pumping section in a first phase of operation and to pump blood out of the outlet of the distal section in a second phase of operation.