Cumulative Suction Detection in Implantable Blood Pumps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable blood pumps face challenges in determining and managing suction events, which can lead to inadequate blood flow and circulatory assistance due to rapid or gradual flow rate declines, either from suction conditions or occlusions, necessitating a method to assess cumulative suction presence effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method to determine the cumulative presence of suction in a patient with an implantable blood pump by identifying suction events over a fixed time interval, calculating the ratio of intervals with suction events to total intervals, and generating alerts when the cumulative suction exceeds a threshold, with real-time monitoring and display in log-files, controllers, or monitors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the blood pump operates at a high flow rate to provide sufficient circulatory assistance, then the patient receives adequate blood flow support, but suction events may occur causing rapid flow rate decline and ventricle collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of suction events by monitoring blood flow rate changes and calculating cumulative presence of suction before actual ventricle collapse occurs. By identifying suction conditions early through flow rate decline patterns, the system can alert clinicians to adjust pump settings proactively, preventing catastrophic failure while maintaining high flow rates during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors blood flow rate and provides feedback about cumulative suction presence to the control system. This feedback loop enables real-time detection of suction events and allows the system to respond by adjusting pump operation or alerting clinicians, thereby maintaining flow rate stability while permitting high productivity during normal functioning
2Reliability
If the pump flow rate is reduced to prevent suction events, then ventricle collapse is avoided, but the patient receives insufficient circulatory assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates cumulative presence of suction over time intervals and identifies trends before they lead to ventricle collapse. By detecting early signs of suction through continuous monitoring and calculation, the system can alert clinicians to reduce flow rate proactively, maintaining adequate circulatory assistance while preventing harmful suction conditions
3Reliability
If continuous monitoring of suction events is performed in real-time, then timely detection and intervention is enabled, but device complexity and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system divides time into discrete intervals and calculates cumulative suction presence for each interval independently. This segmentation approach simplifies real-time computation by processing data in manageable chunks rather than continuously, reducing computational complexity while maintaining reliable detection of suction events throughout the monitoring period
Solution Approach 2:
The system calculates cumulative presence of suction over multiple time intervals rather than attempting to detect every instantaneous suction event. This partial monitoring approach reduces computational complexity while still providing reliable detection of clinically significant suction conditions that persist over time, balancing accuracy with device complexity
4Productivity
If the pump operates at maximum flow rate to ensure adequate patient support, then circulatory assistance is sufficient, but occlusions or suction conditions cause gradual or rapid flow rate decline rendering the device ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously calculates cumulative presence of suction and identifies trends in flow rate decline before the device becomes ineffective. By detecting occlusions or suction conditions early through continuous monitoring and calculation, the system can alert clinicians to intervene while the device is still providing adequate circulatory assistance, preventing complete device failure
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides continuous feedback about cumulative suction presence and flow rate trends to the control system and clinicians. This feedback enables timely detection of declining device effectiveness and allows for proactive intervention to maintain device effectiveness while operating at high flow rates for maximum productivity
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining a cumulative presence of suction in a patient having an implanted blood pump including determining whether at least one suction event occurred during a predetermined time interval for a predetermined number of time intervals and determining the cumulative presence of suction by dividing a sum of a number of predetermined time intervals in which at least one suction event occurred by the predetermined number of time intervals.