Described herein are devices and methods for pumping blood in a patient in need of circulatory assistance or a replacement heart. Instead of providing a temporary solution for these patients, the devices may be permanently implanted. The devices linearly reciprocate a shuttle within a housing to move blood into and out of the housing, and rotate the shuttle to selectively direct the movement of blood into and out of a plurality of ports in the housing.

Described herein are devices and methods for pumping blood in a patient in need of circulatory assistance or a replacement heart. Instead of providing a temporary solution for these patients, the devices may be permanently implanted. The devices linearly reciprocate a shuttle within a housing to move blood into and out of the housing, and rotate the shuttle to selectively direct the movement of blood into and out of a plurality of ports in the housing.

An artificial heart system for human beings or other creatures, comprises at least one half of the heart, to be implemented into the body, instead of or in parallel to the biologic heart or outside of human body for example for a portable dialysis apparatus, maintaining or supporting at least one blood circulatory system or circuit of the human being or the other creature as a pump, completely or partially, and at least one drive unit and at least one control unit, preferably to be placed outside the body.

An artificial heart system for human beings or other creatures, comprises at least one half of the heart, to be implemented into the body, instead of or in parallel to the biologic heart or outside of human body for example for a portable dialysis apparatus, maintaining or supporting at least one blood circulatory system or circuit of the human being or the other creature as a pump, completely or partially, and at least one drive unit and at least one control unit, preferably to be placed outside the body.

The invention relates to a circulatory assistance system comprising: a rotor in the shape of a Reuleaux triangle; and a camshaft received in a housing of the rotor and designed to rotate the rotor about an axis of rotation. The inner walls of the housing of the rotor are in contact at all points with the outer surface of the cam such that the assembly formed by the cam and the rotor does not have a clearance volume.

A blood pump is disclosed. The blood pump apparatus is arranged to provide pulsatile flow, and comprises a flexible inner cylindrical duct providing a blood flow region, and an outer cylindrical duct arranged to surround the inner cylindrical duct and arranged to accommodate a pumping fluid. In the pump the inner cylindrical duct is described as comprising a blood inlet for receiving blood into the region, a blood outlet for passing blood out from the blood flow region and a passageway therebetween. There is also described the feature of the inner duct comprising a non return valve at the blood inlet and a non return valve at the blood outlet, the outer cylindrical duct having a fluid port for a pumping fluid, and a pump device arranged to cyclically deliver and withdraw pumping fluid to the fluid port thereby cyclically compressing and expanding the flexible inner cylindrical duct urging blood through the blood flow region and delivering a pulsating blood flow through the blood outlet.

A blood pump is disclosed. The blood pump apparatus is arranged to provide pulsatile flow, and comprises a flexible inner cylindrical duct providing a blood flow region, and an outer cylindrical duct arranged to surround the inner cylindrical duct and arranged to accommodate a pumping fluid. In the pump the inner cylindrical duct is described as comprising a blood inlet for receiving blood into the region, a blood outlet for passing blood out from the blood flow region and a passageway therebetween. There is also described the feature of the inner duct comprising a non return valve at the blood inlet and a non return valve at the blood outlet, the outer cylindrical duct having a fluid port for a pumping fluid, and a pump device arranged to cyclically deliver and withdraw pumping fluid to the fluid port thereby cyclically compressing and expanding the flexible inner cylindrical duct urging blood through the blood flow region and delivering a pulsating blood flow through the blood outlet.

A blood pump is disclosed. The blood pump apparatus is arranged to provide pulsatile flow, and comprises a flexible inner cylindrical duct providing a blood flow region, and an outer cylindrical duct arranged to surround the inner cylindrical duct and arranged to accommodate a pumping fluid. In the pump the inner cylindrical duct is described as comprising a blood inlet for receiving blood into the region, a blood outlet for passing blood out from the blood flow region and a passageway therebetween. There is also described the feature of the inner duct comprising a non return valve at the blood inlet and a non return valve at the blood outlet, the outer cylindrical duct having a fluid port for a pumping fluid, and a pump device arranged to cyclically deliver and withdraw pumping fluid to the fluid port thereby cyclically compressing and expanding the flexible inner cylindrical duct urging blood through the blood flow region and delivering a pulsating blood flow through the blood outlet.

Hemodialysis and similar dialysis systems including a variety of systems and methods that make hemodialysis more efficient, easier, and/or more affordable, and include new fluid circuits for fluid flow in hemodialysis systems and a blood pump. The blood pump is configured to pump blood to a dialyzer of a hemodialysis apparatus and comprises a pneumatically actuated or controlled reciprocating diaphragm pump. The diaphragm of the pump comprises a flexible membrane formed or molded to conform to a curved inner wall of a pumping chamber or control chamber of the pump, and the diaphragm is pre-formed or molded to have a control side taking a convex shape, so that any elastic tension on the diaphragm is minimized when fully extended into a control chamber of the pump.

A hemodialysis system configured to purge air from a blood circuit comprising: a dialyzer; a dialysis fluid circuit operable with the dialyzer via dialysis fluid inlet and outlet lines; the blood circuit operable with the dialyzer and including an arterial line, a venous line, a blood pump operable with the arterial line upstream of the dialyzer, and a physiologically acceptable fluid source in fluid communication with the arterial line upstream of the blood pump; and an air purging scheme wherein, with the dialysis fluid inlet and outlet lines connected to the dialyzer, air is purged using dialysis fluid or other physiologically acceptable fluid pumped by at least one of the fresh or used dialysis fluid pumps from the dialysis fluid circuit, through the dialyzer, into the blood circuit, in combination with dialysis fluid or other physiologically acceptable fluid from the source introduced directly into the blood circuit.