Blood pumps

Inventors

Earles, Ronald G. • Heuring, Jason J. • Durst, Christopher A. • BENAVIDES, Omar

Assignees

Procyrion Inc

Abstract

A blood flow assist system can include an impeller assembly including an impeller shaft and an impeller on the impeller shaft, a primary flow pathway disposed along an exterior surface of the impeller. The system can include a rotor assembly at a proximal portion of the impeller shaft. A secondary flow pathway can be disposed along a lumen of the impeller shaft. During operation of the blood flow assist system, blood can be pumped proximally along the primary flow pathway and the secondary flow pathway. The system can include a sleeve bearing distal the impeller. The system can include a drive unit having a distal end disposed distal a proximal end of the second impeller. The drive unit comprising a drive magnet and a drive bearing between the drive magnet and the impeller assembly.

Core Innovation

A percutaneously delivered impeller assembly is operated to pump blood longitudinally along a length of the impeller assembly in a blood vessel of a patient. The impeller assembly includes a rotor assembly and an impeller coupled with the rotor assembly, and the rotor assembly includes a concave bearing surface that cooperates with a drive unit having a drive bearing. The drive bearing has a convex bearing surface configured to fit within the concave bearing surface, including distally-projecting segments spaced circumferentially to define channels for blood flow.

Blood is pumped longitudinally along the impeller assembly, proximally into a central hollow of the drive bearing, and radially outward through the at least one channel between adjacent segments. In related embodiments, an exterior surface of the impeller shaft is cyclically exposed to blood at a selected axial location, using a sleeve bearing disposed about the impeller shaft. The disclosure further includes pumping along a first flow pathway disposed along an exterior surface of an impeller and a second flow pathway disposed proximally through a lumen of the impeller shaft into a central hollow of a drive bearing and radially outward relative to a longitudinal axis.

The disclosed system uses a segmented cone bearing arrangement in the drive bearing, with convex and concave bearing surfaces and circumferentially spaced channels, together with an integrated rotor core including an impeller shaft and associated flow components. Deployment and anchoring are described using self-expanding struts localized for engagement with a blood vessel wall, and the impeller assembly includes a retrieval feature geometry for removal. Operational behavior emphasizes directing blood flow between the primary and secondary pathways in a manner intended to provide fresh blood sourcing to bearing regions for lubricating-layer behavior and to reduce thrombosis and hemolysis.

Claims Coverage

The document provides three independent claim methods (three independent claims) covering percutaneous operation of a blood flow assist system with a segmented cone bearing that defines a central hollow and circumferential channels for proximate-to-radial pumping, cyclic exposure of an impeller-shaft exterior surface to blood at a selected axial location using a sleeve bearing, and pumping along a first exterior impeller flow pathway and a second lumen-to-drive-bearings flow pathway with central hollow and radial routing.

Across the independent claims, the claimed coverage centers on a drive bearing architecture with a central hollow and circumferential channels on a convex bearing surface within a concave bearing surface, pumping routing from longitudinal flow into the central hollow and radially outward through defined channels, and sleeve-bearing-based cyclic exposure of an impeller-shaft exterior surface to blood at a selected axial location, with an additional architecture that splits flow into an exterior impeller pathway and a lumen-to-drive-bearing pathway.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications

No documented applications found