Blood pump devices having improved rotary seals for sealing a bearing assembly supporting a rotor provided herein. Such rotary seals are particularly suited for use in blood pump devices that include rotors having cantilevered supported through a sealed mechanical bearing disposed outside a blood flow path of the device to avoid thrombus formation caused by blood contact with the bearing. The rotary seal can include a first and second face seal that are preloaded with a deflectable compliance member incorporated into the pump housing or a pair of magnets. Such rotary seals can instead or further utilize tight fitment between components or a bio-absorbable fill material to seal an interface between the rotor shaft and pump housing to seal the bearing assembly from fluid flowing through the pump.

A pump head includes a casing including a blood inlet configured to receive a flow of a blood and a blood outlet configured to allow the blood to flow out of the casing. The pump head also includes a shaft disposed in the casing. The pump head also includes a magnetic structure mounted onto the shaft. The pump head further includes an impeller having an open structure and mounted to an exterior surface of the magnetic structure through an opening provided at the open structure.

A pump head includes a casing including a blood inlet configured to receive a flow of a blood and a blood outlet configured to allow the blood to flow out of the casing. The pump head also includes a shaft disposed in the casing. The pump head also includes a magnetic structure mounted onto the shaft. The pump head further includes an impeller having an open structure and mounted to an exterior surface of the magnetic structure through an opening provided at the open structure.

In a pump housing having an interior for accommodating a pump rotor, which may be transferred from a radially compressed state into a radially expanded state, and comprises a housing skin revolving in circumferential direction, as well as at least one reinforcement element, a stretch-resistant element revolving in circumferential direction is provided, which is stretched less than 5% in the expanded state as opposed to the force-free state in circumferential direction, and which limits any further expansion of the pump housing in radial direction.

In a pump housing having an interior for accommodating a pump rotor, which may be transferred from a radially compressed state into a radially expanded state, and comprises a housing skin revolving in circumferential direction, as well as at least one reinforcement element, a stretch-resistant element revolving in circumferential direction is provided, which is stretched less than 5% in the expanded state as opposed to the force-free state in circumferential direction, and which limits any further expansion of the pump housing in radial direction.

Apparatus and methods are described including a left-ventricular assist device including an impeller and a frame disposed around the impeller. A pump-outlet tube traverses the subject's aortic valve with a distal portion of the pump-outlet tube disposed within the subject's left ventricle. The distal portion of the pump-outlet tube extends to a distal end of the frame and defines more than 10 blood-inlet openings that are sized such as (a) to allow blood to flow from the subject's left ventricle into the tube and (b) to block structures from the subject's left ventricle from entering into the frame. The porosity of the distal portion of the pump-outlet tube is lower within a proximal region of the distal portion of the pump-outlet tube than within a distal region of the distal portion of the pump-outlet tube that is distal to the proximal region. Other applications are also described.

The invention relates to a transmitter unit (12) comprising a housing (20), a transmitter coil (18) arranged in the housing (20) for inductively transferring electrical energy to a receiver unit (14) which is provided with a receiver coil (16) and is arranged in the tissue (2) of the body (1) of a patient when the housing (20) having a contact surface (22) is placed on the body (1), and comprising a control device (30) for controlling the operation of the transmitter coil (18). According to the invention, a temperature sensor (26) is provided in the transmitter unit for determining a heating of the tissue (2) of the body (1) caused by the inductive transfer of electrical energy to the receiver unit (14). The invention also relates to methods for determining the temperature (T.sub.Korr) of the tissue (2) of a body (1) on a surface (38), by which electrical energy is inductively transmitted for supplying an electrical consumer arranged in the tissue (2) of the body (1), and to a method for inductively transferring electrical energy.

The invention relates to a transmitter unit (12) comprising a housing (20), a transmitter coil (18) arranged in the housing (20) for inductively transferring electrical energy to a receiver unit (14) which is provided with a receiver coil (16) and is arranged in the tissue (2) of the body (1) of a patient when the housing (20) having a contact surface (22) is placed on the body (1), and comprising a control device (30) for controlling the operation of the transmitter coil (18). According to the invention, a temperature sensor (26) is provided in the transmitter unit for determining a heating of the tissue (2) of the body (1) caused by the inductive transfer of electrical energy to the receiver unit (14). The invention also relates to methods for determining the temperature (T.sub.Korr) of the tissue (2) of a body (1) on a surface (38), by which electrical energy is inductively transmitted for supplying an electrical consumer arranged in the tissue (2) of the body (1), and to a method for inductively transferring electrical energy.

Apparatus and methods are described including a blood pump that includes an impeller configured to pump blood through a subject's body, and a frame disposed around the impeller. In a radially-non-constrained configuration of the frame, the frame defines a proximal conical portion and a cylindrical portion disposed distally to the proximal conical portion. During operation of the blood pump, the impeller moves with respect to the frame, and a range of movement of the impeller is such that at least a first portion of the impeller is disposed within the proximal conical portion of the frame during at least some of the operation of the blood pump, and at least a second portion of the impeller is disposed within the cylindrical portion of the frame during at least some of the operation of the blood pump. Other applications are also described.

Apparatus and methods are described including a blood pump that includes an impeller configured to pump blood through a subject's body, and a frame disposed around the impeller. The frame defines struts having a structure that is such that, as the frame transitions from a proximal end of the frame toward a center of the frame, the struts pass through junctions, at which the two struts branch from a single strut, in a Y-shape. The structure of the struts of the frame is configured such that, in response to a distal end of a delivery catheter and the frame being moved into overlapping positions with respect to each other, the frame assumes a radially-constrained configuration by becoming axially elongated, and the frame causes the impeller to assume a radially-constrained configuration by becoming axially elongated. Other applications are also described.