A method of draining a device for extracorporeal blood treatment, wherein the device comprises a dialyzer which is divided by means of a membrane into a first chamber and a second chamber, an arterial line connected to a blood inlet of the first chamber, a venous line connected to a blood outlet of the first chamber, a dialysis fluid line for fresh dialysis fluid connected to a dialysis fluid inlet of the second chamber and a dialysis fluid line for used dialysis fluid connected to a dialysis fluid outlet of the second chamber, a blood pump disposed in the arterial line, a venous expansion chamber disposed in the venous line and an air detector unit downstream of the venous expansion chamber, and wherein the method comprises the following steps of: connecting a patient-side port of the arterial line to a patient-side port of the venous line; generating a negative pressure in the second chamber; operating the blood pump in a first direction and draining the arterial and venous lines in the first direction via the membrane and the second chamber; and stopping the blood pump and draining the arterial and venous lines in a second direction opposed to the first direction via the membrane and the second chamber.

The present invention relates to a method of determining a system compressibility value of a medical membrane pump drive, wherein a first and second pressure level are moved to and a first and second operating parameter value of the membrane pump drive are detected; wherein the system compressibility value is determined on the basis of the detected operating parameter values; and wherein the membrane of the membrane pump drive is supported at a rigid surface during the determination of the system compressibility value.

A blood pumping device comprising at least a first pump and a second pump, and a first and second pump actuating means for inducing a blood flow in a body's circulatory system is disclosed. Each pump comprises one upper chamber having an inlet channel and one lower chamber having an outlet channel. The upper and lower chambers are separated by a movable valve plane provided with a valve. The pump actuating means are configured to apply a movement to said valve plane in an upward and downward direction between said upper and lower chambers in response to control signals from a control unit, such that when said valve plane moves in an upward direction the valve provided in the valve plane is in an open position allowing a flow of blood from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, and when the valve plane moves in a downward direction the valve is in the closed position and blood is ejected from the lower chamber through the outlet channel. The bottom part of the lower chamber is provided with a bag-like portion.

An artificial heart and lung apparatus includes a roller pump; a blood removal line; a first blood transfer line; a blood removal rate sensor; a control unit that performs the linked control of the roller pump in correspondence with a blood removal rate; and a blood transfer rate adjustment unit that instructs the roller pump to transfer a blood transfer rate. The blood transfer rate adjustment unit includes an operation amount input unit to which an operation amount from an arbitrary circumferential position can be input, and which outputs a pulse signal according to the input operation amount. A counter adds and subtracts pulse signals output from the operation amount input unit, and outputs a resultant as blood transfer rate adjustment data. The counter performs a counting operation with respect to the circumferential position of the operation amount input unit when blood transfer control transitions to the normal control.

Cardiac chamber prosthesis configured to be implanted in a cardiac chamber (10; 20; 30; 40) comprising a native outlet valve (50; 60; 70; 80) and at least one inlet aperture (50; 70) selected from the group comprising a native inlet valve (50; 70) and one or more outlet mouths of venae cavae or pulmonary veins (120; 125; 130), wherein the cardiac chamber prosthesis comprises: an inner elastic membrane (250; 255; 260; 650; 750; 850), a reference support elastic membrane structure (200; 205, 225, 290A; 600; 700; 800) comprising or consisting of an outer elastic membrane (200; 205; 600; 700; 800) provided with a plurality of clips (210) configured to grip an inner wall (45) of the cardiac chamber (10; 20; 30; 40), wherein the elastic inner and outer membranes (250, 200; 255, 205; 260, 200; 650, 600; 750, 700; 850, 800) form an outlet border (285; 675; 785; 885) configured to surround and be sutured on the native outlet valve (50; 60; 70; 80) and at least one inlet border (275; 685; 775; 875A, 875B) configured to surround and be sutured on said at least one inlet aperture (50; 70), wherein the inner elastic membrane (250; 255; 260; 650; 750; 850) and the reference support elastic membrane structure (200; 205, 225, 290A; 600; 700; 800) are connected to each other by means of a plurality of primary variable connection elements (290; 290B), whereby the inner elastic membrane (250; 255; 260; 650; 750; 850) and the reference support elastic membrane structure (200; 205, 225, 290A; 600; 700; 800) delimit a primary interspace (230; 230B; 630; 730; 830) between them that is configured to receive a fluid with varying amount and/or pressure so as to dynamically modify a volume of the primary interspace (230; 2303; 630; 730; 830) and said elastically variable volume delimited by the inner surface (254; 654; 754; 854) of the inner elastic membrane (250; 255; 260; 650; 750; 850).

There is provided a method for controlling a flow of fluid and/or other bodily matter in a lumen formed by a tissue wall of a patient's organ. The method comprises gently constricting (i.e., without substantially hampering the blood circulation in the tissue wall) at least one portion of the tissue wall to influence the flow in the lumen, and stimulating the constricted wall portion to cause contraction of the wall portion to further influence the flow in the lumen. The method can be used for restricting or stopping the flow in the lumen, or for actively moving the fluid in the lumen, with a low risk of injuring the organ. Such an organ may be the esophagus, stomach, intestines, urine bladder, urethra, ureter, renal pelvis, aorta, corpus cavernosum, exit veins of erectile tissue, uterine tube, vas deferens or bile duct, or a blood vessel.

A radially compressible cardiac gripper for at least mechanical stimulation of a heart. The cardiac gripper has two gripper arms, wherein at least one of the gripper arms comprises a flexible section configured for movement of the arm having the flexible section.

Mechanical circulatory support systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some examples, the present technology comprises a system for providing cardiac support to a patient where the system comprises a first elongated shaft configured to receive a delivery catheter therethrough, a second elongated shaft, and a pressure source coupled to the first and second elongated shafts. The first elongated shaft may have a distal end portion configured to be intravascularly positioned at a first cardiovascular location, and the second elongated shaft may have a distal end portion configured to be intravascularly positioned at a second cardiovascular location downstream of the first location. Pressure generated by the pressure source pulls blood from the first location proximally through the first shaft to the pressure source, then pushes the blood distally through the second shaft and into circulatory flow at the second cardiovascular location, thereby providing mechanical circulatory support to the patient.

Mechanical circulatory support systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some examples, the present technology comprises a system for providing cardiac support to a patient where the system comprises a first elongated shaft configured to receive a delivery catheter therethrough, a second elongated shaft, and a pressure source coupled to the first and second elongated shafts. The first elongated shaft may have a distal end portion configured to be intravascularly positioned at a first cardiovascular location, and the second elongated shaft may have a distal end portion configured to be intravascularly positioned at a second cardiovascular location downstream of the first location. Pressure generated by the pressure source pulls blood from the first location proximally through the first shaft to the pressure source, then pushes the blood distally through the second shaft and into circulatory flow at the second cardiovascular location, thereby providing mechanical circulatory support to the patient.

A diaphragm pump, includes a case, a diaphragm dividing a space in the case into a first space and a second space, a liquid feed flow path including an inflow path to introduce a liquid to be fed into the first space and an outflow path to discharge the liquid to be fed from the first space, a drive unit including a compression/decompression device that repeatedly causes displacement of the diaphragm by repeating compression and decompression of a driving fluid filling the second space, and a valve mechanism to open and close the inflow path and the outflow path. The drive unit includes a pressure release mechanism to release pressure of the driving fluid after the driving fluid is compressed or decompressed by the compression/decompression device.