Intravascular Blood Pump Ring Seal for Pressure-Limited Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intravascular blood pumps, particularly right ventricular assist devices, face challenges in managing high pressure differences within blood vessels, which can cause harm to pulmonary vessels due to excessive pressure, especially when inserted into pulmonary arteries.
Innovation Solution
The blood pump incorporates a ring seal with a support member that can collapse and expand to maintain a predetermined pressure difference, acting as an overpressure valve to prevent excessive pressure increases, featuring a flexible membrane or elastic wire for self-regulation and a shield for enhanced sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the blood pump generates high pressure difference to improve pumping performance, then the pumping efficiency is improved, but the pulmonary vessels may be damaged due to excessive pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pressure-limiting mechanism as an intermediary component between the pump and the pulmonary vessels. This mechanism includes a flexible membrane and support structure that act as a mediator to regulate and limit the pressure transmitted to the pulmonary vasculature, allowing the pump to generate necessary pressure for efficient blood pumping while preventing excessive pressure from damaging the vessels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a pressure-limiting mechanism that changes the pressure parameter dynamically. The flexible membrane and support structure allow the system to maintain pressure within a safe range by changing the mechanical properties of the sealing element based on the pressure differential, thereby limiting maximum pressure while maintaining adequate pumping performance.
2Reliability
If a rigid seal structure is used to ensure reliable sealing, then the sealing reliability is improved, but the device cannot adapt to pressure variations and may cause vessel damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces a static rigid seal with a dynamic sealing mechanism that can adapt to pressure variations. The flexible membrane coupled with a support structure allows the seal to dynamically adjust its shape and compliance in response to pressure changes, maintaining reliable sealing while adapting to different pressure conditions without causing vessel damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element's mechanical properties are designed to change with pressure. The flexible membrane's compliance and the support structure's mechanical characteristics allow the seal to adapt its pressure-limiting properties based on the operating conditions, maintaining both sealing reliability and pressure adaptability.
3Stress or pressure
If the ring seal is made flexible to allow pressure regulation, then the pressure control is improved, but the sealing effectiveness may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining a flexible membrane with a support member. This composite design provides both flexibility for pressure regulation and structural integrity for effective sealing. The flexible membrane allows pressure control through its compliance, while the support member ensures the seal maintains sufficient rigidity to effectively seal against the vessel wall, resolving the contradiction between pressure control and sealing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element has different mechanical properties in different regions. The flexible membrane provides compliance for pressure regulation in certain areas, while the support structure provides rigidity for effective sealing in other areas. This local differentiation of mechanical properties allows the same sealing element to simultaneously achieve pressure control and effective sealing.
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 ring seal effectively limits pressure differences to safe levels, protecting blood vessels from damage by allowing blood flow when pressures exceed a predetermined threshold, ensuring safe operation of the pump.
Implementation Method 1
the support member is configured to collapse at least partially when a predetermined pressure difference between the proximal area and the distal area of the blood vessel acts on the ring seal
Implementation Method 2
The ring seal separates a proximal area of the blood vessel from a distal area of the blood vessel
Data Source
AI summary
An intravascular blood pump (1) comprises a ring seal (10) that is configured to assume a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration and configured to contact and seal against an inner wall of the patient's blood vessel when inserted therein in the expanded configuration. A support member (12; 13) is disposed inside the ring seal (10) in order to support the ring seal (10) from the inside, wherein the support member (12; 13) is configured to collapse at least partially when a predetermined pressure difference between a proximal area and a distal area of the blood vessel acting on the ring seal (10) is exceeded.