Ventricular Assist Device Aortic Valve Opening Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current continuous flow ventricular assist devices (cfLVADs) lack a physiological pump flow controller, making it difficult to adjust pump flow in response to changes in a patient's hemodynamic state without implanted sensors, which are impractical due to issues like thrombosis, malfunction, and cost. Additionally, existing methods for determining aortic valve opening are limited to binary classification, which is insufficient for accurate hemodynamic parameter calculation.
Innovation Solution
An electronic processing device determines the pump speed of a ventricular assist device, analyzes it to create a pump speed indicator, and uses this indicator to determine the opening state of the aortic valve, including degree, duration, and timing of opening, by comparing the indicator to thresholds and performing frequency transformations on the pump speed data to generate power spectral density distributions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If implanted sensors are used to obtain hemodynamic parameters, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and reliability deteriorate due to thrombosis, malfunction, and cost issues
Solution Approach 1:
The ventricular assist device uses its own operational parameters (motor current, speed, power consumption) to derive hemodynamic information, eliminating the need for external sensors. The device serves itself by monitoring its own performance characteristics to infer cardiovascular state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical implanted sensors with a computational approach that uses electrical and mechanical measurements from the device's own operation to derive hemodynamic parameters through signal processing and algorithms.
2Device complexity
If binary classification of aortic valve opening is used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates for hemodynamic parameter calculation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the aortic valve opening state into multiple discrete levels (closed, partially open, fully open) rather than a single binary state. This is achieved by analyzing the duration and characteristics of pump speed deviations, allowing for more precise hemodynamic calculations while maintaining computational feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for determining opening of an aortic valve of a biological subject, the apparatus including an electronic processing device that determines a pump speed of a ventricular assist device that is assisting cardiac function of the biological subject, analyses the pump speed to determine a pump speed indicator at least partially indicative of changes in pump speed and uses the pump speed indicator to determine an opening indicator indicative of opening of the aortic valve.