Implanted Extracardiac Device for Circulatory Assistance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016045654-A1
Application number	US-201414459937-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 14, 2014
Priority date	Aug 14, 2014
Publication date	Feb 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

This invention is an implanted extracardiac device for supplementing blood circulation which comprises an implanted blood flow lumen, a blood flow increasing mechanism, and a control unit. Its design improves blood circulation when the blood flow increasing mechanism is operating, without hindering native blood flow when the mechanism is not operating. This device improves circulation without intruding on cardiac tissue or weakening the heart by completely supplanting cardiac function. Also, since the device allows native blood flow when the blood flow increasing mechanism is not in operation, it requires less power and can enable more patient mobility.

First claim

I claim:

1 . An implanted extracardiac device for supplementing blood circulation comprising:
at least one implanted blood flow lumen, wherein this implanted blood flow lumen is configured to be implanted within a person's body so as to receive blood inflow from a blood vessel at an upstream location with respect to the natural direction of blood flow, wherein this implanted blood flow lumen is configured to discharge blood into a blood vessel at a downstream location with respect to the natural direction of blood flow, wherein this implanted blood flow lumen has a longitudinal axis spanning from the upstream location to the downstream location, wherein this implanted blood flow lumen has a cross-sectional area through which blood can flow which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and wherein a minimum cross-sectional flow area is defined as the minimum unobstructed cross-sectional area through which can blood flow from the upstream location to the downstream location; a blood flow increasing mechanism, wherein this blood flow increasing mechanism is configured to be implanted within a person's body, wherein this blood flow increasing mechanism is configured to increase the flow of blood from the upstream location to the downstream location when the blood flow increasing mechanism is in operation by transducing electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy; and a control unit for the blood flow increasing mechanism.

2 . The device in claim 1 wherein: a pre-implantation minimum cross-sectional flow area is the minimum cross-sectional flow area from the upstream location to the downstream location before the implanted blood flow lumen and the blood flow increasing mechanism are implanted; wherein a post-implantation minimum cross-sectional flow area is the minimum cross-sectional flow area from the upstream location to the downstream location which is unobstructed by the blood flow increasing mechanism when the blood flow increasing mechanism is not in operation after the implanted blood flow lumen and the blood flow increasing mechanism are implanted; and wherein the post-implantation minimum cross-sectional flow area is not substantially less than the pre-implantation minimum cross-sectional flow area.

3 . The device in claim 2 wherein substantially less is 5% less.

4 . The device in claim 2 wherein substantially less is 10% less.

5 . The device in claim 2 wherein substantially less is 25% less.

6 . The device in claim 1 wherein: post-implantation blood flow from the upstream location to the downstream location is greater than pre-implantation blood flow from the upstream location to the downstream location when the blood flow increasing mechanism is in operation transducing electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy; and wherein post-implantation blood flow from the upstream location to the downstream location when the blood flow increasing mechanism is not in operation is not substantially less than pre-implantation blood flow from the upstream location to the downstream location

7 . The device in claim 1 wherein the implanted blood flow lumen is configured to be implanted entirely within a blood vessel.

8 . The device in claim 1 wherein the implanted blood flow lumen is configured to be implanted at least partially outside a blood vessel.

9 . The device in claim 1 wherein the implanted blood flow lumen is configured to replace a longitudinal section of a blood vessel.

10 . The device in claim 1 wherein the post-implantation minimum cross-sectional flow area comprises the combined cross-sectional area through which blood flows unobstructed from the upstream location to the downstream location through either the implanted blood flow lumen or the blood vessel with which it is in fluid communication.

11 . The device in claim 1 wherein the implanted blood flow lumen is configured to be implanted into fluid communication with a blood vessel by one or more connecting members or connection methods which are selected from the group consisting of: endovascular insertion and expansion within a blood vessel, anastomosis, sutures, purse string suture, drawstring, pull tie, friction fit, surgical staples, tissue adhesive, gel, fluid seal, biochemical bond, cauterization, (three-way) vessel joint, vessel branch, twist connector, helical threads or screw connector, connection port, interlocking joints, tongue and groove connection, flanged connector, beveled ridge, magnetic connection, plug connector, circumferential ring, inflatable ring, and snap connector.

12 . The device in claim 1 wherein the implanted blood flow lumen is selected from the group consisting of: artificial vessel segment, bioengineered vessel segment, transplanted vessel segment, artificial vessel joint, vessel branch, stent or other expandable mesh or framework, artificial lumen, manufactured catheter, manufactured tube, valve, vessel valve segment, multi-channel lumen, blood pump housing, and elastic blood chamber.

13 . The device in claim 1 wherein the blood flow increasing mechanism is selected from the group consisting of: Archimedes pump, axial pump, balloon pump, biochemical pump, centripetal/fugal pump, ciliary motion pump, compressive pump, continuous flow pump, diaphragm pump, elastomeric pump, electromagnetic field pump, electromechanical pump, electroosmotic pump, extracardiac pump, gear pump, hybrid pulsatile and continuous pump, hydrodynamically-levitated pump, hydroelastic pump, impedance pump, longitudinal-membrane-wave pump, magnetic flux pump, Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) pump, native flow entrainment pump, peripheral vasculature pump, peristaltic pump, piston pump, pulsatile flow pump, pump that moves fluid by direction interaction between fluid and an electromagnetic field, pump with a helical impeller, pump with a parallel-axis impeller, pump with a perpendicular-axis impeller, pump with a series of circumferentially-compressive members, pump with an expansion chamber and one-way valve, pump with an impeller with multiple vans, fins, and/or blades, pump with electromagnetically-driven magnetic impeller, pump with fluid jets which entrain native blood flow, pump with helical impeller, pump with magnetic bearings, pump with reversibly-expandable impeller projections, rotary pump, sub-cardiac pump, and worm pump.

14 . The device in claim 1 wherein the blood flow increasing mechanism has a first configuration when it is not in operation transducing electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy, wherein the blood flow increasing mechanism has a second configuration when it is in operation transducing electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy, and wherein the second configuration occupies a larger portion of the post-implantation minimum cross-sectional flow area than the first configuration.

15 . The device in claim 14 wherein the post-implantation minimum cross-sectional flow area is substantially less than the pre-implantation minimum cross-sectional flow area when the blood flow increasing mechanism is in the second configuration, but not when the blood flow increasing mechanism is in the first configuration.

16 . The device in claim 14 wherein the blood flow increasing mechanism is moved from the first configuration to the second configuration by one or more means selected from the group consisting of: centripetal/fugal force, differential rotational an upstream member and a downstream member, electromagnetic force, fluid resistance and/or frictional engagement, hydraulic force, inflation and/or pneumatic force, MEMS or other microscale actuation, piezoelectric effect, a

Assignees

• Connor Robert A
• Medibotics Llc

Inventors

• Connor Robert A

Classifications

• A61F2/86 Primary

  Stents in a form characterised by the wire-like elements; Stents in the form characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure · CPC title

• A61M2230/10

  Electroencephalographic signals · CPC title

• A61M2230/205

  partial oxygen pressure (P-O2) · CPC title

• A61M1/1072

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61M1/1015

  Human Necessities · mapped topic