Interventional Blood Pump Outlet Guide Vanes for Axial Flow

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing interventional blood pumps suffer from chaotic blood flow at the outlet, energy dissipation, and damage to blood cells due to inefficient flow direction conversion and inlet structure design, leading to disrupted flow fields and increased pressure loss.

Innovation Solution

The blood pump incorporates a guide vane structure in the outlet housing to convert rotational blood flow into primarily axial motion, using bent and twisted vanes that align with the blood flow direction to minimize cell damage and reduce energy loss, along with a bell-shaped flow guide cone at the inlet to stabilize blood entry.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If elliptical hollowed-out holes are provided directly on metal housing at impeller outlet, then blood can be discharged from ventricle to artery, but blood flow becomes chaotic causing energy dissipation and disrupted flow field

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblood discharge efficiencyVSAvoidenergy dissipation

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

A guide vane structure is introduced as an intermediary component between the impeller outlet and the blood discharge holes. This guide vane structure includes multiple guide vanes arranged in a circular pattern, which act as mediators to redirect and organize the chaotic blood flow from the impeller into a more ordered flow pattern before discharge, thereby reducing energy dissipation while maintaining productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide vanes are designed with specific geometric parameters including angle of attack, curvature radius, and spacing between vanes. By optimizing these parameters, the blood flow direction is gradually changed from radial discharge to axial flow, transforming the flow field characteristics and reducing turbulence-induced energy loss

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If inlet structure is designed to guide blood flow into pump, then blood can be suctioned into catheter, but viscous flow and vortices occur hindering flow or damaging blood cells

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblood suction capabilityVSAvoidblood cell damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The inlet structure employs curved surfaces and rounded edges instead of sharp angles. The inlet passage is designed with gradual curvature to guide blood flow smoothly into the impeller suction area, eliminating sudden direction changes that would generate vortices and reduce shear stress on blood cells

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The inlet guide structure is designed to pre-condition the blood flow before it enters the impeller suction area. By providing preliminary flow alignment and reducing incoming turbulence, the structure prevents the formation of harmful vortices and minimizes blood cell damage at the inlet

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Power

If impeller rotates at high speed to pump blood, then blood delivery effect is improved, but rotational motion of blood causes chaotic flow and energy loss

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblood pumping powerVSAvoidflow field regularity

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The guide vane structure serves as a mediator between the high-speed rotating impeller and the discharge system. It gradually transforms the rotational kinetic energy into axial flow momentum through its angled vanes, maintaining the power delivery while stabilizing the flow field composition

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide vanes are positioned to dynamically interact with the rotating impeller discharge flow. The vanes are angled to match the tangential velocity component of the impeller discharge, creating a dynamic balance that converts rotational motion into forward axial flow while maintaining system power output

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

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 solution enhances the regularity of the blood flow field, reduces cell damage, and improves the overall efficiency of the pump by guiding blood flow into a primarily axial direction, minimizing energy dissipation and pressure loss.

Implementation Method 1

the guide vane structure is configured to be capable of converting a rotational motion of a blood flowing out of the impeller into a primarily axial motion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFlow direction conversion:

Data Source

PatentUS20250229077A1Interventional Blood Pump with Outlet Flow Guide Structure

Publication Date: 2025.07.17 HANGTIANTAIXIN TECH CO LTD

AI summary

Provided is an interventional blood pump, including a pump body and a driving unit. The pump body includes an impeller, a blood flow catheter, a blood flow inlet structure, and a blood flow outlet structure which are in driving connection to the driving unit. The blood flow outlet structure includes an outlet housing, an outlet base, and a guide vane structure arranged on the outlet base and connected to the outlet housing. At least a part of the impeller is accommodated in the outlet housing. The guide vane structure is configured to be capable of converting a rotational motion of the blood flowing out of the impeller into a primarily axial motion.