Blood Pump With Selective Flow Direction for Cardiac Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood pumps, such as intra-aortic balloon pumps and percutaneous ventricular assist devices, fail to effectively enhance cardiac output and coronary circulation, particularly in high-risk patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, leading to complications.
Innovation Solution
A blood pump design combining intra-aortic counterpulsation with axial pumping, featuring a stent-like housing, a pump rotor, and a flexible drive shaft, with a flow directing mechanism to selectively guide blood flow to either the upper or lower body halves, enhancing cardiac output and coronary circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If intra-aortic balloon pump is used for intra-aortic counterpulsation, then diastolic aortic pressure increases and coronary circulation improves, but cardiac output increase is relatively small
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the intra-aortic balloon pump with an axial flow pump into a single integrated device. The balloon component provides counterpulsation to improve coronary circulation, while the axial pump simultaneously increases cardiac output by directly pumping blood from the ventricle to the aorta. This merging resolves the contradiction by achieving both improved coronary circulation and increased cardiac output through a unified system.
2Productivity
If axial pump is used for continuous pumping, then left ventricle relief increases and myocardial oxygen demand decreases, but coronary circulation improvement is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated device merges the axial pump's continuous ventricle relief capability with the balloon's counterpulsation function. The axial pump provides continuous blood flow to relieve ventricular workload, while the balloon's rhythmic inflation/deflation specifically enhances coronary artery perfusion during diastole. This combination resolves the contradiction by achieving both ventricle relief and coronary circulation improvement through complementary mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If flow directing means is added to guide blood selectively, then both counterpulsation and ejection performance are achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow directing means is designed as a multi-functional component that serves multiple purposes: it directs blood flow during balloon inflation, redirects flow during balloon deflation, and integrates with both the balloon and axial pump systems. This universal component resolves the contradiction by enabling versatile flow control while minimizing additional complexity through its multi-functional design.
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 combined pump design achieves increased cardiac output and improved coronary and cerebral circulation, reducing complications in high-risk patients by adapting to cardiac cycles and physiological needs.
Implementation Method 1
a pump rotor, in particular an impellor, rotatably mounted in the housing... as a result of which blood is sucked in on a intake side of the pump rotor through a intake tube of the blood pump and is ejected on an discharge side of the pump rotor
Implementation Method 2
a flexible drive shaft, which can be coupled to a motor, in order to drive the pump rotor to rotate
Implementation Method 3
a flow directing means arranged downstream of the pump rotor in order to guide the blood conveyed by the pump rotor selectively to the first or to the second axial end of the housing
Data Source
AI summary
In a blood pump for supporting cardiac performance, including a stent-like housing which has a first axial end and a second axial end, a pump rotor mounted rotatably in the housing, in particular an impellor, and a flexible drive shaft, which can be coupled to a motor in order to drive the pump rotor to rotate, whereby blood is sucked in on an intake side of the pump rotor through an intake tube of the blood pump and is ejected on a discharge side of the pump rotor, the blood pump has a flow directing means arranged downstream of the pump rotor in order to selectively direct the blood conveyed by the pump rotor to the first or to the second axial end of the housing while maintaining the direction of rotation of the pump rotor.