A filtering device for removing particles from a fluid of a patient is provided. The filtering device being implantable in the patient's body and comprising a cassette comprising a revolving member, said revolving member having at least two segments each holding a respective filter. The device further comprises a tube forming a fluid passageway through one of the filters in said cassette, wherein the cassette is adapted to, upon revolution of the revolving cylinder, change the filter positioned in the fluid passageway from a first one of said filters to a second one of said filters, thereby allowing particles present on the first filter to be moved away from the fluid passageway, while at the same time changing the filter positioned in the fluid passageway.

A heart pump including a housing forming a cavity including at least one inlet and at least one outlet, an impeller provided within the cavity, the impeller including vanes for urging fluid from the inlet to the outlet upon rotation of the impeller, a drive that rotates the impeller within the cavity, a magnetic bearing including at least one bearing coil that controls an axial position of the impeller within the cavity and a controller. The controller includes an electronic processing device that monitors changes in a bearing indicator in response to a perturbation in blood flow, the bearing indicator being at least partially indicative of operation of the magnetic bearing and controls the drive to thereby selectively change a rotational speed of the impeller at least partially in accordance with changes in the bearing indicator.

A blood clot removal method for removing blood clots from the vascular system of a patient, the blood clot removal method carried out on an implantable device in the patient's body and comprising: allowing a blood flow through a passageway between a first side wall and a second side wall, filtering blood clots with a filter provided in the blood flow passageway, and cleaning the filter with a cleaning device, wherein the cleaning device is moved from the first side wall towards the second side wall to move blood clots away from the blood flow passageway.

A ventricular assist device includes a stent for placement within a cardiac artery and arranged for placement, the stent arranged to have an open configuration defining a flow path, a rotor sized to fit within the stent and arranged for percutaneous placement the flow path, the rotor including a surface disposed about a central portion and angled with respect to the flow path and having a first plurality of magnets. A collar is sized for placement about the cardiac artery and includes a stator. A power source is coupled to the stator, and the stator and the rotor are arranged to rotate the rotor about an axis. A timing control module controls a rotational speed of the rotor. Accordingly, the surface of the rotor is arranged to move blood along the flow path in response to rotation of the rotor.

Methods are provided for controlling the speed of a pump based on a valve state index and/or for deriving a valve state from time-series signal representing a pressure difference or a flow rate. The methods may be employed in blood pump systems or in blood pump control systems.

A system and method for determining native cardiac output of a heart while maintaining operation of an intracardiac blood pump includes determining a current drawn by the pump motor, a blood pressure within the ascending aorta, and a change in the blood temperature based on a thermodilution technique. An intracardiac blood pump positioned in the aorta includes at least one sensor for determining a motor current and blood pressure and a thermistor for determining the change in blood temperature after a precise fluid bolus has been introduced into the vasculature. A processor receives current, pressure, and temperature measurements, and calculates a pump flow output and a total cardiac output from which the native cardiac output is calculated. The native cardiac output and other clinically relevant variables derived from the measurements inform decisions related to continued therapeutic care, including increasing or decreasing cardiac assistance provided by the intracardiac pump.

A connection system for an implantable blood pump including a pump housing having an impeller disposed therein and a motor housing including a motor disposed therein, the motor housing spaced a distance from the pump housing. A flexible outer sheath couples the pump housing to the motor housing, the outer sheath defining a maximum total length between 7 and 10 centimeters. An inner shaft is coaxial with the outer sheath and couples the motor to the impeller.

An implantable pump system is provided, suitable for use as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) system, having an implantable pump, a battery, a controller, and a programmer. The implantable pump includes a flexible membrane coupled to an actuator assembly via a skirt that extends toward the inlet of the pump and curves to guide blood toward the outlet. The actuator assembly is magnetically engagable with electromagnetic coils, so that when the electromagnetic coils are energized, the actuator assembly causes wavelike undulations to propagate along the flexible membrane to propel blood from the inlet, across the skirt, and through the outlet of the implantable pump. The controller may be programmed by a programmer to operate at frequencies and duty cycles that mimic physiologic flow rates and pulsatility while operating in an efficient manner that avoids thrombus formation, hemolysis and/or platelet activation.

A system includes a device having a blood side, a solution side, and a semipermeable membrane structurally configured for diffusion of one or more solutes therethrough. The system also includes a first extracorporeal circuit having one or more first fluid connectors for connecting the blood side of the device to the vascular system of a first animal, a second extracorporeal circuit including one or more second fluid connectors for connecting the solution side of the device to the vascular system of a second animal, a first pump in fluid communication with at least one of the first and second extracorporeal circuits, and a driver mechanically coupled to the first pump, the driver configured to drive the first pump using energy from an energy source.

A system includes a device having a blood side, a solution side, and a semipermeable membrane structurally configured for diffusion of one or more solutes therethrough. The system also includes a first extracorporeal circuit having one or more first fluid connectors for connecting the blood side of the device to the vascular system of a first animal, a second extracorporeal circuit including one or more second fluid connectors for connecting the solution side of the device to the vascular system of a second animal, a first pump in fluid communication with at least one of the first and second extracorporeal circuits, and a driver mechanically coupled to the first pump, the driver configured to drive the first pump using energy from an energy source.