An implantable device for cardiac assistance by direct compression, including a base forming a receptacle for receiving the lower part of a heart, a support for fixing the lower part of the heart to the base, at least one finger extending longitudinally between a free upper first end and a curved lower second end inside the base, the finger being mounted on the base via a first pivot connection, a contact interface mounted adjustably and movably on the free end, an actuator for actuating the tilting movement of the finger about the pivot connection, and a control unit for controlling the actuator is disclosed.

A blood pump (20) includes a stator assembly comprising a motor stator (52), a fluid inlet (24), and a fluid outlet (26). A rotor assembly includes a motor rotor (54) and an impeller (40) rotatable about an axis (44) to move fluid from the inlet (24) to the outlet (26). An outflow sheath (300) directs the flow along the outside of the pump (20).

A method of controlling a blood pump including executing a control command to temporarily displace an impeller of the blood pump within a pump housing from a first axial position relative to the pump housing to a second axial position a distance away from the first axial position using a vector control method, and causing the impeller to move from the second axial position to a third axial position, the third axial position including a positive and a negative displacement of the impeller relative to the first axial position.

A device for reducing pressure within a lumen includes a reservoir structured for holding a fluid therein, an injection port in fluid communication with the reservoir, a compliant body structured to expand and contract upon changes in pressure, and a conduit extending between and fluidly coupling the reservoir and the compliant body. The fluid may be a compressible or a noncompressible fluid.

A control device (100) for controlling the rotational speed (n.sub.VAD(t)) of a non-pulsatile ventricular assist device, VAD, (50) uses an event-based within-a-beat control strategy, wherein the control device is configured to alter the rotational speed of the VAD within the cardiac cycle of the assisted heart and to synchronize the alteration of the rotational speed with the heartbeat by at least one sequence of trigger signals (?(t)) that is related to at least one predetermined characteristic event in the cardiac cycle. Further, a VAD (50) for assistance of a heart comprises the control device (100) for controlling the VAD, wherein the VAD is preferably a non-pulsatile rotational, for example catheter-based, blood pump.

Methods and apparatuses for determining operational parameters of a blood pump comprising a rotor which transports the blood are provided. The change in the behaviour of at least one first and one second operational parameter, independently from each other, of the pump, is determined. A determination of the flow through the pump and/or the difference in pressure across the pump and/or the viscosity of the blood takes into account the determined change in behaviour of the at least two operational parameters. A modelling for a dynamic model of the known quantities may be carried out and an estimation method using a Kalman filter may be used.

A device for reducing pressure within a lumen includes a reservoir structured for holding a fluid therein, an injection port in fluid communication with the reservoir, a compliant body structured to expand and contract upon changes in pressure, and a conduit extending between and fluidly coupling the reservoir and the compliant body. The fluid may be a compressible or a noncompressible fluid.

The present invention relates to a supply device for a channel (8), in particular within a hollow catheter (1), and to a method for operating a supply device of this type that supplies a channel (8) with a liquid and has two pumps (10, 19) arranged at points of the channel distanced from one another, characterised in that the parameter values of at least one operating parameter of both pumps are coordinated with one another in a controlled manner. As a result of the method, interruption-free and precisely controllable operation is to be ensured with simple structural means, in particular in the case of use of wear-free diaphragm pumps.

The present invention relates to a supply device for a channel (8), in particular within a hollow catheter (1), and to a method for operating a supply device of this type that supplies a channel (8) with a liquid and has two pumps (10, 19) arranged at points of the channel distanced from one another, characterised in that the parameter values of at least one operating parameter of both pumps are coordinated with one another in a controlled manner. As a result of the method, interruption-free and precisely controllable operation is to be ensured with simple structural means, in particular in the case of use of wear-free diaphragm pumps.

Systems methods are disclosed for changing one or more characteristics (e.g. flow magnitude via pump speed) of mechanical circulatory assistance provided by an LVAD during specified points in the cardiac cycle, preferably using closed loop control. The system and method may be implemented for dynamically changing ventricular unloading during the cardiac cycle by adjusting the degree of ventricular assistance during systole and/or diastole. The system and methods also include a means to sense the phase of the cardiac cycle to inform the LVAD of timing within the cardiac cycle.