An implantable pump system is provided, suitable for use as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) system, having an implantable pump, an extracorporeal battery and a controller coupled to the implantable pump, and a programmer selectively periodically coupled to the controller to configure and adjust operating parameters of the implantable pump. The implantable pump includes a flexible membrane coupled to an actuator assembly that is magnetically engagable with electromagnetic coils, so that when the electromagnetic coils are energized, the actuator assembly causes wavelike undulations to propagate along the flexible membrane to propel blood from through the implantable pump. The controller may be programmed by a programmer to operate at frequencies and duty cycles that mimic physiologic flow rates and pulsatility while operating in an efficient manner that avoids thrombus formation, hemolysis and/or platelet activation.

A pulsatile blood pump including a chamber having an upstream portion, a downstream portion, and a wall coupling the upstream portion to the downstream portion, the upstream portion defining an inlet sized to fit within a ventricle of a heart, the downstream portion defining an outlet, and the wall defining a bore; a piston disposed within the bore of the wall, the piston including a first side in continuous fluid communication with the ventricle of the heart when the inlet is within the ventricle of the heart and defining a travel path within the bore including an upstream direction toward the inlet and a downstream direction toward the outlet; and a valve coupled to the piston and defining a one-way fluid flow path within the chamber through the first side of the piston in the downstream direction.

A pulsatile fluid pump system for driving a fluid pump assembly includes a reciprocating linear motor having a magnet and a coil, the magnet moving in relation to the coil, the coil having an electrical input. The pulsatile fluid pump system further includes a controller system having an electrical output coupled to the electrical input of the coil, and the controller system is configured to execute a waveform program defining an electrical waveform at the electrical output. The waveform program is configured to control operation of the linear motor by modification of a feature, selected from the group consisting of amplitude, frequency, shape, and combinations thereof, of the electrical waveform at the electrical output. The waveform program is further configured to accept a set of user-specifiable parameters defining the performance of the linear motor and to modify the electrical waveform in response to such parameters.

Systems and methods for controlling an implantable pump are provided. For example, the exemplary controller for controlling the implantable pump may only rely on the actuator's current measurement. The controller is robust to pressure and flow changes inside the pump head, and allows fast change of pump's operation point. For example, the controller includes, a two stage, nonlinear position observer module based on a reduced order model of the electromagnetic actuator. The controller includes an algorithm that estimates the position of the moving component of the implantable pump based on the actuator's current measurement and adjusts operation of the pump accordingly. Alternatively, the controller may rely on position measurements and/or velocity estimations.

Systems and methods for controlling an implantable pump are provided. For example, the exemplary controller for controlling the implantable pump may only rely on the actuator's current measurement. The controller is robust to pressure and flow changes inside the pump head, and allows fast change of pump's operation point. For example, the controller includes, a two stage, nonlinear position observer module based on a reduced order model of the electromagnetic actuator. The controller includes an algorithm that estimates the position of the moving component of the implantable pump based on the actuator's current measurement and adjusts operation of the pump accordingly. Alternatively, the controller may rely on position measurements and/or velocity estimations.

Described herein are devices and methods for pumping fluids. The devices may be implanted within a patient or located external to the body of the patient. When employed externally, the devices may be used to deliver various drugs or support hemodialysis, in addition to pumping blood and maintaining blood circulation. The implantable devices may be used in patients in need of circulatory assistance or a replacement heart. Both the implantable and external pump devices may linearly reciprocate a shuttle within a housing to simultaneously move blood into and out of the housing, and rotate the shuttle to selectively direct the movement of fluid into and out of a plurality of ports in the housing.

A blood purification apparatus including the following: a peristaltic pump that includes a stator to which a pump tube including a first portion and a second portion is detachably attached, and a rotor including a roller and a guide portion, the roller delivering liquid by squeezing the pump tube attached to the stator, the guide portion retaining the pump tube at an appropriate position where the pump tube is squeezable with the roller, the rotor being rotatable about a predetermined axis; an anchor member that anchors an attaching member to which the pump tube is attached; and a displacing portion that displaces the attaching member between a set position and an unset position by moving the anchor member with the attaching member being anchored by the anchor member. An attachable state in which the first portion of the pump tube rests at the appropriate position is established when the anchor member is moved from the unset position to the set position with the guide portion of the peristaltic pump being stopped in a specific phase.

A blood pumping device is described having at least a first pump and a first pump actuator for inducing a blood flow in a body's circulatory system. The pump has 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 one-way valve. The pump actuator induces movement of the valve plane in an upward and downward direction between the upper and lower chambers in response to control signals from a control unit. When the valve plane moves in an upward direction, the valve opens allowing a flow of blood from the upper to the lower chamber. The lower chamber is provided with a bag-like portion forcing said flow of blood to make a turn of between 110° to 150° before leaving through the outlet channel.

An implantable cardiovascular blood pump system is provided, suitable for use as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) system, having an implantable cardiovascular pump, an extracorporeal battery and a controller coupled to the implantable pump, and a programmer selectively periodically coupled to the controller to configure and adjust operating parameters of the implantable cardiovascular pump. The implantable cardiovascular blood pump includes a coaxial inflow cannula and outflow cannula in fluid communication with one another and with a pumping mechanism. The pumping mechanism may be a vibrating membrane pump which may include a flexible membrane coupled to an electromagnetic actuator assembly that causes wavelike undulations to propagate along the flexible membrane to propel blood through the implantable cardiovascular pump. The implantable cardiovascular pump may be programmed to operate at frequencies and duty cycles that mimic physiologic flow rates and pulsatility while avoiding thrombus formation, hemolysis and/or platelet activation.

Tubular propulsion devices and systems and methods for using such devices and systems to restore, replace, or augment or otherwise modulate active transport of fluids through a diseased or damaged tubular organ or organ segment are described. The devices have a hollow center surrounded by a peripheral wall. The devices can be multilayer devices. The devices may be single tube devices or multi-section devices. Typically, elements for altering the structure of the device, such as via compression, expansion, twisting, and/or contraction of one or more sections of the peripheral wall, are included in the walls or are outside or inside, of the walls of the device. The devices undergo intermittent change of the contained volume (luminal volume) in a sequential manner to direct fluid flow. In use, the devices are able to serve as local mini- or regional-pumps.