Blood Pump with Kidney-Shaped Flushing Channels
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood pumps face challenges in efficiently conveying blood volume with lower energy input while reducing operating speed and mechanical stress on blood, often resulting in dead spaces that can lead to thrombus formation.
Innovation Solution
A blood pump design featuring a bottleneck-shaped flow inlet with a blade assembly mounted on a rotary shaft, utilizing a magnetic coupling and three evenly distributed kidney-shaped flushing channels parallel to the rotary shaft, along with six flat blades radially arranged, to enhance flow dynamics and reduce mechanical stress on blood.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the operating speed of the blade assembly is reduced to decrease mechanical stress on blood, then the blood delivery volume decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly is segmented into multiple flat blades (n≥3) arranged radially around the rotary shaft. This segmentation creates multiple flow channels that work in parallel, allowing the pump to maintain adequate blood delivery volume even at reduced rotational speeds, while each individual blade generates less mechanical stress on the blood.
2Productivity
If the blade assembly rotates at high speed to increase blood delivery volume, then dead spaces and thrombus formation risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates dead spaces from the pump design by ensuring that the flow channels extend continuously from the flow inlet through the blade assembly to the flow outlet. The bottlenecks are positioned such that no stagnant regions remain, preventing thrombus formation while maintaining adequate blood delivery volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow channels are pre-designed with continuous pathways that guide blood flow through the entire pump structure before rotation begins. The bottlenecks are strategically positioned to ensure that blood is continuously moved through all regions, preventing stagnation and thrombus formation from the outset.
3Stability of the object's composition
If curved or helical blades are used to improve flow dynamics, then manufacturing complexity and mechanical stress on blood increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly uses flat, radially oriented blades with uniform cross-sections, creating locally simple geometries that are easy to manufacture. The flow dynamics are optimized not through blade curvature but through the strategic positioning of bottlenecks and the radial arrangement of multiple blades, achieving stable flow with minimal complexity.
4Reliability
If traditional bearing structures are used to support the rotary shaft, then dead spaces are created that lead to thrombus formation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an intermediary fluid coupling between the rotary shaft and the bearing structure. The rotary shaft is magnetically coupled to the blade assembly, allowing the bearing to be positioned in a location that does not create dead spaces. The magnetic coupling acts as an intermediary that transmits rotational force without requiring direct mechanical contact that would create thrombus-prone regions.
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 design achieves a higher blood delivery volume at lower rotational speeds with reduced mechanical stress and turbulence, effectively preventing thrombus formation by optimizing flow dynamics and using ceramic or abrasion-resistant materials for bearings.
Implementation Method 1
The rotary motor is operatively connected to the blade assembly which conjointly rotates on the rotary shaft, by a magnetic coupling
Implementation Method 2
All known blood pumps, based on the principle of a rotating blade assembly, use the centrifugal effect of the rotating blade assembly to build up flow and pressure within the blood pump
Data Source
AI summary
The invention includes three flushing channels each having a flushing channel longitudinal axis oriented parallel to the rotary shaft, which are distributed evenly around a rotary shaft with each flushing channels including a flushing channel cross-section oriented orthogonally to the rotary shaft. The cross-sections are each kidney-shaped and surround the rotary shaft in sectors.