Thoracic aorta ventricular assist system

Abstract

An implantable heart assist system, includes a pumping chamber formed of a flexible material and being adapted to be placed in fluid connection with the aorta and a pump system comprising a first rigid member, a second rigid member spaced from the first rigid member so that at least a portion of the pumping chamber may be positioned between the first rigid member and the second rigid member, a drive system comprising a motor, an extending member comprising a threaded section operatively connecting the first rigid member and the second rigid member and a nut in operative connection with the threaded section. The motor is adapted to rotate either the extending member or the nut relative to the other to convert rotary motion of the motor to linear motion to cause the second rigid member to move toward the first rigid member or away from the first rigid member. The heart assist system further includes a controller or a control system in operative connection with the drive system and controlling the motor. Movement of the second rigid member toward the first rigid member results in compression of the pumping chamber, and movement of the second rigid member away from the first rigid member causes expansion of the pumping chamber.

Description

[0001] Cross references to related patent applications [0002] This application claims priority to US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 788030, filed March 15, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background technique [0003] The following information is provided to assist the reader in understanding the techniques disclosed in this invention and the possible common application environments for these techniques. The terms used herein are not intended to be limited to any specific narrow interpretation, unless the context expressly states otherwise. The citations in the text may help to understand the technical or background of the present invention. The disclosures of all references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference. [0004] Congestive heart failure, also known as CHF, affects approximately 5.7 million people in the United States alone. Heart assist devices are increasingly being implanted in patients to assist their fra...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Due to the destruction of blood caused by shearing, patients implanted with rotating VADs often experience excessive bleeding and clotting problems, which can lead to brain damage, stroke and / or require blood transfusions

Also, due to the positioning of the rotating VAD parallel to the left ventricle of the heart, pump power loss can be fatal in approximately 40% of patients

The risk increases as the non-rotating impeller pump positioned parallel to the left ventricle becomes a shunt of high pressure aortic flow back to the failing low pressure left ventricle, with increased power losses, overloading the pump to a critical failure state

Images