Implantable Unloading Blood Pump for Low-Flow Atrial Pressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are ineffective, leading to high mortality rates, and existing technologies for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are large, cumbersome, and pose risks of thrombosis and hemolysis.
Innovation Solution
A compact, low-power blood pump system that unloads blood from the left atrium or ventricle to reduce atrio-pulmonary pressure, using a suction cannula and a flux reinjection cannula, with a controlled flow rate between 0.05 L/min and 0.5 L/min, reducing capillary pressure without increasing cardiac output, and includes a ligation clip to prevent thromboembolic events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a high rotational speed axial pump is used to provide sufficient flow rate, then the pump size is reduced, but the risk of thrombosis and hemolysis increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The pump operates dynamically by adjusting rotational speed based on flow rate requirements. At low flow rates (0.05-0.5 L/min), the pump runs at lower speeds (2000-5000 rpm) to minimize thrombosis and hemolysis risks, while maintaining compact size through efficient impeller design. This dynamic operation allows the pump to adapt its speed to clinical needs without constantly operating at high-risk speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters by operating at low flow rates (0.05-0.5 L/min) and low rotational speeds (2000-5000 rpm) compared to conventional high-speed pumps. This parameter change reduces the harmful effects of thrombosis and hemolysis while maintaining pump effectiveness for heart failure treatment with preserved ejection fraction.
2Productivity
If a conventional ventricular assist device is used to pump blood at high flow rates, then cardiac output is sufficient, but the device becomes large and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The pump provides partial cardiac support by delivering a controlled flow rate (0.05-0.5 L/min) that is sufficient for treating heart failure with preserved ejection fraction without requiring full cardiac output replacement. This partial action approach allows for a much smaller, more implantable device design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the flow rate parameter from conventional high flow rates (2-10 L/min) to low flow rates (0.05-0.5 L/min), enabling a compact pump design that is suitable for implantation while still providing effective treatment for HFpEF patients.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the pump operates at low flow rates to reduce thrombosis risk, then patient safety improves, but the pump size and power requirements may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump uses dynamic impeller geometry that is optimized for low-speed operation. The impeller blades and pumping chamber are designed to efficiently move blood at low rotational speeds (2000-5000 rpm) and low flow rates (0.05-0.5 L/min), maintaining compact dimensions while minimizing thrombosis risk through gentle blood handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump design incorporates biomimetic features that replicate natural heart valve and chamber geometries, creating a blood-friendly environment that reduces thrombosis risk at low flow rates without requiring excessive pump size. The pumping chamber shape mimics physiological blood flow patterns.
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 system effectively reduces atrio-pulmonary pressure, minimizing thrombosis and hemolysis risks, while being smaller and more energy-efficient than existing pumps, thus reducing patient discomfort and infection risks.
Implementation Method 1
a suction cannula comprising a suction inlet configured to connect to an atrium or ventricle and an outlet end, an inlet port connected to the outlet end of the suction cannula, for sucking blood from the suction cannula into the pumping chamber body
Implementation Method 2
The system effectively reduces atrio-pulmonary pressure, minimizing thrombosis and hemolysis risks
Data Source
AI summary
An unloading blood pump includes a casing suitable for being incorporated into a human body, a turbine rotated by a rotor, a pumping chamber body mounted in a casing housing the turbine, an inlet port for sucking the blood from a suction cannula to the pumping chamber body and an outlet port for expelling blood from the pumping chamber to a reinjection cannula, wherein the pump is configured, depending on its power supply, to allow a nominal constant continuous flow of between 0.05 L/min and 0.5 L/min in order to reduce a capillary pressure of the lungs and/or of the left atrium and/or of the left ventricle.