Dual-Impeller Intravascular Blood Pump for Ventricular Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intravascular blood pumps face challenges in efficiently supporting cardiac output, particularly during medical procedures, and there is a need for improved ventricular support devices to stabilize blood flow in patients with compromised heart function.
Innovation Solution
Intravascular blood pumps with collapsible housings and dual impellers, where the proximal impeller is positioned to perform a majority of the pumping work, are designed to enhance blood flow support by optimizing the axial positioning and configuration of impellers within the fluid lumen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single impeller is used in the blood pump, then the device structure is simpler, but the pumping efficiency and cardiac support capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The blood pump is divided into two functional sections with a proximal impeller and a distal impeller. The proximal impeller handles the primary pumping function while the distal impeller provides additional flow support, allowing the system to achieve higher overall pumping efficiency without requiring a single oversized impeller that would create excessive shear stress on blood cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-impeller design to a dual-impeller configuration, adding complexity in the axial dimension. The impellers are positioned at different axial locations within the pump housing, with the proximal impeller closer to the inlet and the distal impeller closer to the outlet, creating a multi-stage pumping action that enhances overall performance.
2Productivity
If the proximal impeller is positioned to perform majority of pumping work, then cardiac support is improved, but the axial positioning precision requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The proximal impeller is specifically designed with blade geometry and pitch optimized for generating the majority of the pumping pressure, while the distal impeller has different characteristics optimized for flow maintenance. This local optimization of impeller properties at different axial positions allows the system to achieve high cardiac support capability while the positioning tolerances can be managed through the differential design of the two impellers.
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 dual impeller configuration significantly enhances blood pumping efficiency, providing improved cardiac support and reducing the workload on the heart muscle during medical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a collapsible distal impeller axially spaced from a collapsible proximal impeller... wherein the proximal impeller has an axial length in the expanded configuration
Data Source
AI summary
Devices for moving blood within a patient, and methods of doing so. The devices can include a pump portion that includes an impeller and a housing around the impeller, as well as a fluid lumen. The impeller can be activated to cause rotation of the impeller and thereby move fluid within the fluid lumen.