Intravascular Blood Pump Placement Through Venous Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intravascular blood pumps face challenges in placement, particularly through calcified arterial vessels, and mobility limitations due to supply catheters exiting through the groin, which restricts patient movement in long-term applications.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a first guide wire placed through the vascular system with both ends exiting the body, using a transseptal sheath and balloon catheter to guide the blood pump into the left ventricle via the venous side, and anchoring mechanisms to secure the pump in place, along with a transapical access for minimally invasive thoracic cavity entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the blood pump is inserted through the femoral artery, then the placement follows the conventional arterial access route, but the procedure becomes impossible when arterial vessels are calcified or too small in diameter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional placement approach by accessing the left ventricle through the venous system (femoral vein) rather than the arterial system (femoral artery). The pump is guided through the right atrium, across the atrial septum into the left atrium, and then into the left ventricle, thereby avoiding calcified or narrow arterial vessels entirely.
2Ease of operation
If the supply catheter exits through the groin, then the arterial access route is utilized, but patient mobility is restricted in long-term applications
Solution Approach 1:
The supply catheter is routed through the venous system and exits through the femoral vein in the groin, rather than through the arterial system. This inversion of the access route provides several advantages: the venous system has larger diameter vessels facilitating catheter passage, lower blood pressure reducing leakage risk, and the same exit point while enabling long-term patient mobility.
3Quantity of substance
If the blood pump is made large for long-term application, then the pump capacity is sufficient, but the device becomes difficult to insert through arterial vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables insertion of larger-capacity pumps suitable for long-term applications by inverting the access route to use the venous system. The venous vessels have larger diameters that can accommodate bigger pump devices, thereby resolving the contradiction between pump capacity and ease of insertion.
4Reliability
If the blood pump is inserted through the femoral vein, then the risk of blood leakage is reduced, but the placement procedure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an introducer sheath as an intermediary device to facilitate pump insertion through the femoral vein. The sheath is advanced through the venous system to the heart position, and the pump is then inserted through the sheath, simplifying the overall procedure despite the inverted access route.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a guide wire as an intermediary to navigate the venous system and position the pump correctly in the left ventricle. The guide wire is advanced through the femoral vein, right atrium, across the atrial septum, and into the left ventricle, providing a pathway for subsequent pump insertion.
Data Source
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AI summary
An intravascular blood pump for percutaneous insertion into a patient's vasculature comprises a pumping device (30) and a supply catheter. The pumping device comprises a pump section with a blood flow inlet, blood flow outlet, and impeller for conveying blood from the inlet to the outlet and further comprises a drive section connected to the pump section and adapted to drive the impeller. The supply line supplies the drive section with electric energy for driving the impeller. An anchoring structure (25A) is provided at a distal end region of the intravascular blood pump. A connecting catheter (25) may be attached to the anchoring structure from distally in order to guide the intravascular blood pump through the patient's vasculature in a distal direction.