Removable Heart Pump Segmentation for Minimally Invasive Implantation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heart pumps for treating cardiac insufficiency are complex to fit, require invasive surgery, and are not suitable for long-term use, making them ineffective and costly for maintaining adequate blood flow.
Innovation Solution
A heart pump with an impeller inserted in the systemic ventricle, secured by a sealing and fixing membrane, powered by a motor and management unit, allowing for direct blood aspiration and ejection, and featuring interchangeable and accessible components for simplified maintenance, with sensors for cardiac activity synchronization and stimulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing heart pumps are inserted through the aorta and into the ventricle, then blood flow can be regulated, but the fitting becomes extremely complex and requires invasive surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is divided into two main segments: an impeller unit that is inserted through the ventricular wall and a management unit that remains outside. The impeller unit includes an impeller, housing, and sealing membrane, while the management unit contains the power supply and control system. This segmentation allows the complex pumping function to be achieved while simplifying the insertion procedure, as only the smaller impeller unit needs to penetrate the heart wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The management unit containing the power supply and control system is extracted from the heart cavity and placed outside the body. Only the essential impeller unit remains inside the ventricle, connected by a flexible conduit. This extraction eliminates the need for complex internal routing of power and control systems through the heart, significantly simplifying the surgical procedure while maintaining full pump functionality.
2Reliability
If existing heart pumps are fixed through the aortic valve, then blood circulation can be maintained, but the surgery becomes extremely invasive requiring sternotomy
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inserting the pump through the aortic valve as in conventional designs, this invention inserts the impeller unit through the ventricular wall at the apex or lateral wall. The impeller remains positioned inside the ventricle while the drive shaft extends outward through the ventricular wall. This inverted approach avoids the need for aortic valve manipulation and sternotomy, reducing surgical invasiveness while maintaining effective blood circulation.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If existing heart pumps are designed for permanent use, then long-term blood flow support is provided, but maintenance becomes extremely difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is segmented into a permanent management unit outside the body and a replaceable impeller unit inside the ventricle. The impeller unit can be independently removed and replaced through the ventricular wall without requiring removal of the entire pump system. This segmentation enables straightforward maintenance and replacement of wear-prone components while preserving the permanently implanted management unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the impeller unit and management unit is made flexible and dynamic rather than rigid and permanent. A flexible conduit allows the impeller unit to be easily detached and reattached, enabling routine maintenance and component replacement. This dynamic connection design facilitates long-term use with periodic maintenance, transforming the pump from a permanent-fixed system to a maintainable system.
4Reliability
If existing heart pumps require complex fitting procedures, then blood flow can be supported, but the procedure becomes costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system is segmented into a small impeller unit for insertion and a larger management unit remaining outside. The impeller unit's compact size and simple insertion design allow for rapid deployment through the ventricular wall without requiring complex surgical procedures. This segmentation dramatically reduces the time required for implantation while maintaining effective blood flow support.
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 heart pump provides secure, non-invasive, long-term blood flow regulation suitable for all cardiac insufficiency patients, enabling active movement without risk, with simplified maintenance and reduced surgical intervention, and fully implanted autonomy.
Implementation Method 1
a motor arranged in the systemic ventricle and/or in the thickness of the ventricle, for aspirating and then expelling the blood
Implementation Method 2
a sealing and fixing membrane which is partly sutured to the external wall of the heart so as to make the impeller integral with the wall of the heart
Data Source
AI summary
The heart pump includes: a rotary impeller inserted in the systemic ventricle, the rotary impeller being provided with: a sealing membrane sutured onto the outer wall of the heart so as to secure the rotary impeller to the wall of the heart; a casing arranged inside the systemic ventricle such as to be able to suction and then discharge the blood; a preferably brushless motor connected to the casing and arranged inside the systemic ventricle and/or in the body of the ventricle, so as to facilitate maintenance; a managing unit installed in the epigastric region and including a preferably rechargeable power source and a unit for controlling the rotary impeller; a wired link between the managing unit and the rotary impeller; and a system for transmitting haemodynamic and rhythmic data measured by the heat pump via telemedicine.