Electromagnetic Heart Assist Device for Blood Flow and Thrombosis Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current ventricular assist devices (VADs) are limited by thrombosis risks and require invasive surgeries, with existing pumps prone to infection and unable to effectively move blood at appropriate pressures without shearing blood cells, leading to significant challenges in treating heart failure.

Innovation Solution

A novel electromagnetic pumping system (EMPS) with flexible components and minimally invasive anchoring, using electromagnets and permanent magnets to assist heart contraction, powered by a control unit with adaptive algorithms and neural network pattern recognition, and featuring wireless charging for reduced infection and trauma risks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If turbine pumping systems are used to move blood, then blood can be pumped at required flow rates, but blood cells are sheared and thrombosis occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblood flow rateVSAvoidblood cell shearing and thrombosis

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the traditional turbine-based mechanical pumping system with an electromagnetic pumping system that uses electromagnets and permanent magnets to directly assist heart contraction. This substitution eliminates the mechanical turbine components that cause blood cell shearing, while maintaining the ability to pump blood at required flow rates through magnetic field interaction with the heart muscle.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces electromagnets and permanent magnets as intermediary elements between the power source and the heart tissue. These magnetic components serve as a non-contact intermediary that transfers energy to assist heart contraction without direct mechanical contact with blood, thereby avoiding blood cell damage while maintaining pumping effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If invasive surgeries and external electrical leads are used, then VADs can be implanted, but infection risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice implantationVSAvoidinfection risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the external electrical leads from the VAD system. The electromagnetic pumping components are fully implantable with wireless power transmission, removing the external connection interface that serves as a pathway for infection. This extraction maintains device implantation capability while eliminating the infection vector associated with external leads.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces wireless power transmission as an intermediary mechanism to deliver energy to the implantable device without physical connections. This intermediary approach allows the device to remain fully implanted without external electrical leads, thereby maintaining implantation reliability while eliminating infection risks associated with external connections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Volume of moving object

If device size is reduced, then implantability improves, but minimum tube size constraints limit blood flow capability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice sizeVSAvoidblood flow capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the turbine-based mechanical pumping mechanism with an electromagnetic system that does not require large-diameter tubes for turbine operation. The electromagnet-permanent magnet interaction can generate sufficient pumping force in a compact configuration, eliminating the minimum tube size constraint that limits blood flow capability in smaller devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the pumping function into distributed electromagnet and permanent magnet components that can be arranged in a compact configuration. This segmentation allows the device to achieve effective blood pumping capability without requiring large overall device size or large-diameter tubes, as the magnetic interaction occurs at multiple distributed points rather than through a single large turbine.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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 EMPS reduces biocompatibility risks, minimizes invasive procedures, and effectively assists heart function with reduced thrombosis risks, improving patient quality of life and treatment outcomes for heart failure.

Implementation Method 1

The device may assist a failing heart by using a number of electromagnets (EM) on the surface of the heart which interact with permanent magnets (PM) implanted in the heart

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectromagnetic interaction: Electromagnet

Implementation Method 2

electromagnets and permanent magnets may power the artificial heart in the same way it assists the natural heart

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMagnetic force: Magnetism

Data Source

PatentUS10918772B1Solid state heart assist device

Publication Date: 2021.02.16 HURD DILLON GENE

AI summary

Disclosed is a control system having a processor configured to control a plurality of electromagnets to assist heart contractions and expansions based on input received from an electrocardiogram electrode and blow flow sensors.