Expandable Catheter Heart Pump for Full Percutaneous Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heart pumps with fixed cross-sections are too large for percutaneous insertion, making it difficult to provide full cardiac flow rates for both left and right sides of the heart, which is necessary for effective mechanical circulatory support in heart failure patients without causing additional stress.
Innovation Solution
A percutaneously applicable heart pump design featuring a catheter assembly with an impeller assembly and hydrodynamic bearings, capable of supporting pressure-velocity ranges of up to 50,000 psi-ft/min, and an expandable housing to facilitate insertion and operation, ensuring biocompatibility and efficient blood flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional fixed cross-section heart pump is surgically inserted into the heart chamber, then full cardiac flow rates can be provided for mechanical circulatory support, but the surgical insertion causes additional serious stresses in heart failure patients and the device is too large for percutaneous insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The heart pump employs a collapsible cannula that can dynamically change its cross-sectional area. During percutaneous insertion, the cannula is collapsed to a small profile to pass through the femoral artery. Once positioned in the heart chamber, the cannula expands to provide full cardiac flow rates. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction between small insertion profile and large operational size.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into separable components including the collapsible cannula, drive shaft, and impeller assembly. The cannula can be collapsed independently during insertion while the drive mechanism remains external or minimally invasive. This segmentation allows the pumping function to be delivered percutaneously without requiring the entire device to be small.
2Ease of operation
If a percutaneous heart pump with small cross-section is used, then insertion through femoral artery is enabled, but providing full cardiac flow rates becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsible cannula transforms from a compressed state during insertion to an expanded state during operation. The cannula maintains structural integrity while collapsed for percutaneous passage through the femoral artery, then expands within the heart chamber to provide adequate flow cross-section for full cardiac flow rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The cannula is designed to nest within itself or within a delivery sheath in the collapsed configuration, enabling percutaneous insertion. Once deployed, the cannula unfolds or expands to its functional configuration, providing the necessary cross-sectional area for full cardiac flow rates without requiring the entire device to be large during insertion.
3Reliability
If conventional surgical insertion method is used, then full cardiac flow rates can be achieved, but additional serious stresses are caused to heart failure patients
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces open surgical mechanical insertion with a percutaneous delivery system. The collapsible cannula is advanced through the femoral artery using minimally invasive techniques, substituting the traumatic surgical chest opening and direct heart chamber access with a less invasive vascular access route.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic collapsing and expanding of the cannula allows the device to pass through small percutaneous access points without requiring large surgical incisions. This reduces patient trauma and procedural complexity while maintaining the ability to provide full cardiac flow rates once the cannula is expanded in the heart chamber.
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
Enables minimally invasive insertion while providing full cardiac flow rates, reducing patient stress and enhancing recovery by supporting both sides of the heart with reduced risk of complications.
Implementation Method 1
The impeller bearing is configured to support the impeller assembly in a pressure-velocity range of about 20,000 - 50,000 psi-ft/min
Data Source
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AI summary
A heart pump and a catheter assembly therefor are provided that include a flexible catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, the catheter body having a plurality of lumens therethrough. The catheter body can be sufficiently flexible to extend from a peripheral access to a patient's heart. The catheter assembly can also include an impeller assembly having an impeller and a housing. The impeller assembly can be coupled with the flexible catheter body such that a tensile force applied to opposite ends of the catheter assembly enhances the security of the connection between the catheter body and the impeller assembly.