A system for assisting a patient's heart has a pump, an oxygenator, a holder having a pump receiving portion for removably receiving the pump and an oxygenator receiving portion for removably receiving the oxygenator, and a harness configured to surround at least a portion of a patient's torso. The holder is connected to the harness. The system further has a brace connected to at least a portion of the harness. The brace is configured to extend behind a back portion of a user's head and to support tubing connected to at least one of the pump and the oxygenator. A priming tray and wet-to-wet connector connecting the cardiac assist system to the cannula so are also disclosed.

An apparatus for performing haemodialysis on a patient comprises: first blood transfer means (3) for selectively withdrawing blood from a patient and storing it in a first storage portion (5); second blood transfer means (11) for removing filtered blood from a filtration device (7) and storing it in a second storage portion (13); and a fluid measurement system (51a, 51b) for periodically measuring the respective volumes of blood in the first and second storage portions; adding the volume of blood in the first storage portion to the volume of blood in the second storage portion at that time in order to calculate the total volume of blood within the first and second storage portions at that time; and comparing the total measured volumes of blood within the first and second storage portions measured over a predetermined time interval to calculate the volume of fluid removed from the blood during that predetermined time interval.

A veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system includes a dual lumen drainage cannula configured for withdrawing blood from a patient's vasculature in a manner that provides a perfusion of oxygenated blood with reduced carbon dioxide content while unloading the left ventricle, with two points of access to the patient's vasculature. The dual lumen drainage cannula has a first drainage tube and a second drainage tube co-axially aligned with the first drainage tube. The first and second drainage tubes are fluidly coupled to a connector. A blood pump having a pump inlet is configured for fluidly connecting with the connector, while an oxygenator having an oxygenator inlet is configured for fluidly connecting with a pump outlet. An infusion cannula is configured for fluidly connecting with an oxygenator outlet for infusing oxygenated blood into a patient's bloodstream.

A cannula for an ECLS system may include a tubular member and an actuatable structure. The actuatable structure may be responsive to an external stimulus such that an inner diameter of the tubular member changes as the external stimulus changes. A system may include the cannula and a controller in electrical communication with the actuatable structure. The controller may be user-configurable to set a desired value for an inner diameter of the tubular member. A method of connecting a patient's vasculature to an ECLS system may include advancing a delivery sheath into the vasculature, moving the delivery sheath relative to the cannula to expose the cannula within the vasculature, and shifting the actuatable structure from a first configuration to a second configuration while at least a portion of the cannula is disposed within the vasculature to change an inner diameter of the tubular member.

A cannula for an ECLS system may include a tubular member and an actuatable structure. The actuatable structure may be responsive to an external stimulus such that an inner diameter of the tubular member changes as the external stimulus changes. A system may include the cannula and a controller in electrical communication with the actuatable structure. The controller may be user-configurable to set a desired value for an inner diameter of the tubular member. A method of connecting a patient's vasculature to an ECLS system may include advancing a delivery sheath into the vasculature, moving the delivery sheath relative to the cannula to expose the cannula within the vasculature, and shifting the actuatable structure from a first configuration to a second configuration while at least a portion of the cannula is disposed within the vasculature to change an inner diameter of the tubular member.

The present invention relates to a gear pump having a housing that has an inflow for the liquid to be conveyed, that has an outflow for the conveyed liquid, and that has a pump chamber in which the gear or gears for conveying the liquid are present, with at least one bearing position being present in the housing, in which bearing position at least one gear is rotatably received, wherein the inflow is in a different plane than the outflow; and wherein at least one first flushing passage that extends up to the bearing position(s) is in direct or indirect fluid communication with the inflow and/or with the outflow.

The present invention relates to a gear pump having a housing that has an inflow for the liquid to be conveyed, that has an outflow for the conveyed liquid, and that has a pump chamber in which the gear or gears for conveying the liquid are present, with at least one bearing position being present in the housing, in which bearing position at least one gear is rotatably received, wherein the inflow is in a different plane than the outflow; and wherein at least one first flushing passage that extends up to the bearing position(s) is in direct or indirect fluid communication with the inflow and/or with the outflow.

A device for separating condensed water from an operating gas of a pneumatic pulsatile system is provided. The device has a gas line section with a gas inlet and a first and a second gas outlet. The device further comprises a condensation container for extracting the condensed water out of the operating gas, said condensation container being connected to the second gas outlet. A transition region from the second gas outlet to the condensation container has a cross-sectional enlargement, and the condensation container has means for discharging the extracted condensed water. A pneumatic pulsatile system and a cardiac support system are also provided.

A system for assisting a patient's heart has a pump, an oxygenator, a holder having a pump receiving portion for removably receiving the pump and an oxygenator receiving portion for removably receiving the oxygenator, and a harness configured to surround at least a portion of a patient's torso. The holder is connected to the harness. The system further has a brace connected to at least a portion of the harness. The brace is configured to extend behind a back portion of a user's head and to support tubing connected to at least one of the pump and the oxygenator. A priming tray and wet-to-wet connector connecting the cardiac assist system to the cannula so are also disclosed.

A method for operating a portable dialysis device, comprising the following steps: continuously and alternately filling and emptying a hydraulic chamber with hydraulic fluid by a pump, wherein upon filling the hydraulic chamber, an at least partially flexible delivery membrane is moved towards a blood chamber adjoining the hydraulic chamber, in which blood is received, and wherein the blood flows tangentially along an inner wall of the blood chamber through an inlet side, whereby the blood chamber is compressed to eject the blood, and enhancing a return flow of the blood from the blood chamber while avoiding dead points in the flow in the blood chamber, and wherein upon emptying the hydraulic chamber, the delivery membrane is moved away from the blood chamber so that the blood chamber expands to receive the blood, so that a continuous, alternate compression and expansion of the blood chamber by the delivery membrane occurs, such that a continuous uninterrupted exchange of the blood in the blood chamber is performed while avoiding the formation of thrombi.