A medical device for assisting a function of the heart is provided. The heart is placed in the thorax, the thoracic diaphragm is dividing the thorax from the abdomen and the pericardium is surrounding the heart and is attached to the thoracic diaphragm at a pericardial contacting section of the thoracic diaphragm. The medical device comprises a diaphragm passing part adapted to pass from the abdomen, through the thoracic diaphragm at the pericardial contacting section, into the pericardium, wherein said diaphragm passing part is adapted to allow the thoracic diaphragm to move during respiration, when implanted.

A catheter directionally conducts a pulsating body fluid and has a line segment defining an inner volume. A pump chamber section is arranged proximally as an extension of the line segment and defines a pump chamber having a frame therein accommodating a balloon. A first opening connects the inner volume to an external volume and a second opening is arranged proximally from the first opening to connect the inner volume to the external volume. A check valve is assigned to the second opening and the check valve includes a valve foil having an aperture formed therein offset from the second opening. A third opening communicates with the pump chamber. The frame is of a shape memory material which provides rigidity for a pulsatile operation of the balloon. During operation, the pulsating body fluid is conveyed in the inner volume directionally between the first and second opening by operating the balloon.

A catheter devices/systems and methods therefrom are described herein for treating acute kidney injury, especially the contrast-induced acute kidney injury wherein the devices may prevent the contrast dyes from entering into kidney and/or facilitate blood flow of kidney by said catheter system.

A pneumatic system for a medical fluid machine operating a medical fluid cassette, the pneumatic system including an interface for supplying positive pneumatic pressure and negative pneumatic pressure to the medical fluid cassette; a source of positive pneumatic pressure; a source of negative pneumatic pressure; and a pneumatic pump including a first head and a second head, wherein the first head is dedicated to supplying positive pneumatic pressure to the positive pneumatic pressure source and the second head is dedicated to supplying negative pneumatic pressure to the negative pneumatic pressure source.

A modular assembly for a portable hemodialysis system may include a dialysis unit, e.g., that contains suitable components for performing hemodialysis, such as a dialyzer, one or more pumps to circulate blood through the dialyzer, a source of dialysate, and one or more pumps to circulate the dialysate through the dialyzer, and a power unit having a housing that contains suitable components for providing operating power to the pumps of the dialysis unit. The power unit may be selectively connected to the dialysis unit and provide power (e.g., pneumatic power in the form of pressure and/or vacuum) to the dialysis unit for the pumps when connected to the dialysis unit, but may be incapable of providing power to the dialysis unit when disconnected from the dialysis unit. The dialysis unit and the power unit are sized and weighted to each be carried by hand by a human.

The present invention relates to a pulsatile positive-displacement pump with a flexible positive-displacement diaphragm which is operated pneumatically and by whose movement the blood is aspirated and displaced. A mechanical switching device in the interior of a drive unit ensures an autonomous operation of the blood pump, wherein no electricity or electronics system is needed.

A drive device is provided comprising a working pump, the working pump connected to a membrane fluid pump, and the working pump having a working piston able to oscillate axially between two reversal points for contracting and expanding a working chamber, and a control unit for controlling a movement of the working piston between the two reversal points. The controlled movement of the working piston comprises three temporally successive phases, in a first phase the working piston is accelerated to a speed that is greater than a speed at the end of the first phase, in a second phase the working piston is moved such that a specified speed of the working piston, a specified relative pressure in the working chamber, or a specified force of the working piston is substantially kept constant, and in a third phase the working piston is moved at a negative acceleration.

A method of determining a system compressibility value of a medical membrane pump drive is provided which includes moving to a first and second pressure level and detecting a first and second operating parameter value of the membrane pump drive. The system compressibility value is determined on the basis of the detected operating parameter values and the membrane of the membrane pump drive is supported at a rigid surface during the determination of the system compressibility value.

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 cardiac assist device with an expandable cup (4) having a transport state and an operational state, the expandable cup comprising a plurality of inflow apertures (5), and an outflow nozzle (6), and an inflatable balloon (8) positioned inside the expandable cup (4). A catheter assembly (3) is connected to the inflatable balloon (8) during operation, and a control unit (2) is connected to the catheter assembly (3). The control unit (2) is arranged to operate the inflatable balloon (8) with a frequency of more than 100 beats per minute.