Method and apparatus for long-term assisting a left ventricle to pump blood
Inventors
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11745005-B2
Publication Date
2023-09-05
Expiration Date
Abstract
A method and apparatus for long-term assisting the left ventricle of a heart to pump blood is disclosed which includes at least one transluminally deliverable pump and a transluminally deliverable support structure which secures the at least one pump within the aorta for long-term use.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a long-term blood flow assist system for a patient, including a pump housing having an upper end and a lower end, and a pump disposed within the housing. The pump provides axial blood flow. A support structure secures the pump in a desired location in a circulatory system, while the system allows native blood flow between an entirety of the pump housing and the vessel wall at all times in an expanded configuration.
The support structure comprises a plurality of support members in the form of struts, with at least two struts disposed at the upper end of the pump housing and at least two struts disposed at the lower end of the pump housing. Each strut includes an anchor element disposed on a distal end of the strut, and the struts are configurable between a collapsed position disengaged from a vessel wall and an expanded configuration in which an outer end of the struts contacts the vessel wall.
The disclosure further includes controlling the pump based on sensed paced rhythm and physiologic parameters, and provides power delivery options including a transarterial power wire through a sealed graft and transcutaneous energy transfer. Additional embodiments include one-way valve arrangements, alternative deployment concepts, and optional removal and replacement of at least one of the pump and the support structure, as well as alternative implantation approaches.
Claims Coverage
Independent claim clm-00001 covers a blood flow assist system with an axial-flow pump secured by a collapsible-and-expandable strut-based support structure that anchors to a vessel wall while allowing native blood flow between the pump housing and vessel wall. The coverage centers on the structural securement function and the native flow-through feature in the expanded configuration, with additional optional sub-features addressed in dependent claims.
Axial blood flow pump disposed within a pump housing
A pump disposed within the housing, wherein the pump provides axial blood flow.
Strut-based support structure with anchor elements and collapsed/expanded configurations
A support structure configured to secure the pump in a desired location in a circulatory system of a patient, wherein the support structure comprises a plurality of support members, wherein the support members are a plurality of struts, at least two struts are disposed at the upper end of the pump housing and at least two struts are disposed at the lower end of the pump housing, each strut of the at least two struts comprising an anchor element disposed on a distal end of the strut, the struts are configurable between a collapsed position disengaged from a vessel wall or an expanded configuration where an outer end of the struts contact the vessel wall.
Native blood flow between pump housing and vessel wall in expanded configuration
The blood flow assist system allows native blood flow between an entirety of the pump housing and the vessel wall at all times in the expanded configuration.
Across the independent claim scope, the primary inventive combination is an axial-flow pump within a pump housing secured by a strut-based support structure with anchor elements, where the struts move between collapsed and expanded configurations and, in the expanded configuration, native blood flow is maintained between the pump housing and the vessel wall.
Stated Advantages
Allows native blood flow between an entirety of the pump housing and the vessel wall at all times in the expanded configuration.
Enables transluminal delivery using a support structure configurable between collapsed and expanded configurations.
Supports long-term left ventricle assistance compared with short-term percutaneous LVADs.
Documented Applications
Long-term left ventricle assistance using a translatable, axial-flow pump placed in the descending aorta with a transluminally deployable support structure that expands to anchor while allowing native flow.
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