Extracorporeal Circulation Device Synchronizing Blood Flow with Heartbeats

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing extracorporeal circulation management devices face challenges in synchronizing blood supply with heartbeats without using multiple devices and risk damaging blood due to direct contact with electromagnetic valves.

Innovation Solution

An extracorporeal circulation management device that includes a flow rate information storage unit, candidate information generation units to identify systolic and diastolic phases, and a motor unit for synchronized blood supply, eliminating the need for multiple devices and preventing blood damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If an electromagnetic valve is used to synchronize blood supply with heartbeats, then blood supply synchronization is improved, but blood damage occurs due to direct contact

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveblood supply synchronizationVSAvoidblood damage
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a flow rate measurement unit that measures blood flow rate as an intermediary parameter to detect heartbeats indirectly, rather than using an electromagnetic valve that directly contacts blood. The controller uses the measured flow rate information to generate blood supply control signals, thereby achieving heartbeat synchronization without blood damage from electromagnetic valve contact.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If multiple devices (IABP and PCPS) are used together to achieve both synchronization and cardiac sparing effect, then therapeutic effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetherapeutic effectivenessVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the functions of IABP (heartbeat synchronization) and PCPS (continuous blood flow supply) into a single integrated extracorporeal circulation device. The blood pump is controlled by the controller to supply blood in synchronization with heartbeats based on flow rate measurement, combining both therapeutic effects in one device rather than requiring separate IABP and PCPS devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The extracorporeal circulation device is designed to perform multiple functions: continuous blood flow supply (PCPS function), heartbeat synchronization (IABP function), and cardiac afterload reduction. The controller adapts the blood pump operation based on detected heartbeat phases, making the device universally capable of both synchronization and continuous support functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Measurement precision

If blood flow rate is continuously measured and analyzed to identify heartbeat phases, then synchronization accuracy is improved, but information processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesynchronization accuracyVSAvoidinformation processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The controller performs preliminary analysis of flow rate information to identify systolic and diastolic phases before generating blood supply control signals. By pre-processing the flow rate data to detect heartbeat patterns and phases, the system prepares synchronization information in advance, improving response accuracy while organizing the processing complexity into manageable sequential steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3431120B1Extracorporeal circulation management device, extracorporeal circulation device, and extracorporeal circulation management program
Publication Date: 2024.10.30 TERUMO KK
  • EP3431120B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3431120B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3431120B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is provided an extracorporeal circulation management device in which blood can be supplied in synchronization with heartbeats of a heart without using a plurality of devices and without causing damage to the blood. The extracorporeal circulation management device includes a flow rate information storage unit (31) that stores flow rate information acquired from a flow rate measurement unit (7), a candidate information generation unit (36) configured to identify systolic phase candidate information which may potentially correspond to systolic phase information on a heart and diastolic phase candidate information which may potentially correspond to diastolic phase information on the heart, based on information on comparison between a plurality of the flow rate information items acquired in time series, and a systolic-diastolic phase information generation unit (51) configured to identify the systolic phase information and the diastolic phase information in each heartbeat, based on information on appearance of a plurality of the systolic phase candidate information items and a plurality of the diastolic phase candidate information items acquired in time series,. Blood supply information for blood supply or blood supply stop information for stopping the blood supply is transmitted to a motor unit (4), based on the systolic phase information and the diastolic phase information.