Instrumented Driveline With Flexible Sensory Array for Implantable Blood Pump
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drivelines for implantable blood pumps primarily focus on power transmission and lack advanced features to monitor patient position and environmental conditions, such as moisture, which can affect the pump's operation and longevity.
Innovation Solution
A driveline with a percutaneous connector and biocompatible fabric incorporating electronic instruments like wireless transmitters, activity sensors, and moisture sensors, which are fluidically sealed and integrated into the fabric to provide real-time patient positional information and environmental monitoring, enabling adaptive operation of the blood pump.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If electronic instruments are integrated into the driveline, then patient monitoring capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple electronic instruments (accelerometer, wireless transmitter, moisture sensor) into a single integrated driveline assembly. The sensors are embedded within the driveline structure, allowing them to share common housing, power supply, and data transmission pathways, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite adding monitoring functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The driveline is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as a structural support, a fluid seal barrier, a power transmission conduit, and a platform for electronic instrumentation. The biocompatible fabric layer acts as both a structural component and a mounting substrate for sensors, demonstrating multi-functionality that reduces the need for separate dedicated components.
2Reliability
If the biocompatible fabric includes electronic instruments, then environmental monitoring is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic instruments are pre-assembled and tested as a module before being integrated into the biocompatible fabric. The fabric itself is pre-formed with embedded conduits and sealing layers, allowing instruments to be installed into pre-prepared openings. This preliminary preparation simplifies the final assembly process and reduces manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic instruments are nested within the multi-layer biocompatible fabric structure. The fabric contains multiple layers including sealing layers, structural layers, and instrument housing layers, with each layer serving a specific function. This nested arrangement allows instruments to be protected and sealed within the fabric while maintaining access for manufacturing and assembly.
Data Source
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AI summary
A driveline for an implantable blood pump including a percutaneous connector including an outer tube, the outer tube defining an exterior surface and having a proximal portion and a distal portion opposite the proximal portion, the proximal portion being couplable to the implantable blood pump disposed within a body of a patient and the distal portion being couplable to a controller outside of the body of the patient and at least one electronic instrument coupled to the outer tube and fluidically sealed from the exterior surface of the outer tube.