Flexible Intravascular Blood Pump Layout for Tight Vascular Bends
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intravascular blood pumps with onboard motors rigidly connected to the pump housing face challenges in navigating tight bends in a patient's vasculature due to combined housing lengths, and externally powered pumps suffer from significant driveline losses.
Innovation Solution
Intravascular blood pumps with a flexible intermediate section separating the motor and pump housings, allowing each to be optimized for their functions, and using a short drive shaft to minimize losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the motor housing and pump housing are rigidly connected, then the structural stability is improved, but the ability to navigate tight bends in vasculature deteriorates due to combined housing length
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate motor housing and pump housing sections connected by a flexible intermediate section. This segmentation allows each housing to be optimized independently for its function while the flexible connector enables navigation through tight bends by allowing relative movement between sections.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible intermediate section with a flexible drive shaft connects the motor housing to the pump housing. This flexible connection allows the housings to bend relative to each other, enabling the device to navigate tight bends in patient vasculature while maintaining structural integrity and power transmission.
2Ease of manufacture
If the motor housing and pump housing are rigidly connected, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the ability to optimize each housing for its function deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the device into separate motor and pump housings connected by a flexible intermediate section, each housing can be independently designed and optimized for its specific function (motor performance and cooling for the motor housing, pumping efficiency for the pump housing) while still being manufactured using standard processes.
3Volume of moving object
If an external motor is used, then the pump size is reduced, but driveline losses increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The motor is placed inside the pump housing, with the motor shaft directly coupled to the impeller shaft. This nested arrangement eliminates the need for long external drive shafts, reducing driveline losses while maintaining a compact overall device size suitable for intravascular deployment.
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 the blood pump to navigate tight vascular bends while maintaining power output and reducing driveline losses, achieving a smaller profile and improved motor cooling.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible intermediate section arranged between the motor unit and the pump unit, the flexible intermediate section comprising a flexible drive shaft
Implementation Method 2
a motor unit comprising a motor, the motor unit being configured to be inserted into vasculature of a patient
Implementation Method 3
a pump unit comprising an impeller, the impeller being configured to pump blood when driven in rotation within the patient
Data Source
AI summary
An improved intravascular blood pump. Intravascular blood pumps using the present technology may be powered by an onboard motor unit configured to be located inside the patient's body, but which is separated from the pump unit by a flexible intermediate section housing a flexible drive shaft.