A cardiac assist device is provided. The cardiac assist device may comprise a structure surrounding at least a portion of a heart. The cardiac assist device may comprise an inner cup enclosing at least a portion of the structure. The cardiac assist device may comprise an outer cup enclosing at least a portion of the inner cup. The outer cup may comprise an opening. Gas may be conducted into a space between the outer cup and the inner cup, using a pump, to cause a first motion of the structure, associated with a first rotation of a first portion of the heart in a first direction. The gas may be conducted from the space to outside of the outer cup, using the pump, to cause a second motion of the structure, associated with a second rotation of the first portion of the heart in a second direction.

A method of operating an implantable blood pump implanted within a heart of a patient comprising measuring at least one from the group consisting of a current drawn by the implantable blood pump and a blood flow from the implantable blood pump during operation; correlating the at least one from the group consisting the current and the blood flow to a systolic arterial pressure and a diastolic arterial pressure; and adjusting a speed of an impeller of the implantable blood pump relative to a predetermined speed to correspond to an increase the at least one from the group consisting the current during a systolic phase of a cardiac cycle and a decrease in the at least one from the group consisting the current and the blood flow during a diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle.

A blood pump system is implantable in a patient for ventricular support. A pumping chamber has an inlet for receiving blood from a ventricle of the patient. An impeller is received in the pumping chamber. A motor is coupled to the impeller for driving rotation of the impeller. A motor controller is provided for tracking systolic and diastolic phases of a cardiac cycle of the patient and supplying a variable voltage signal to the motor in a variable speed mode to produce a variable impeller speed linked to the cardiac cycle. The impeller speed comprises a ramping up to an elevated speed during the diastolic phase in order to reduce a load on the ventricle at the beginning of the systolic phase.

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.

Mechanical circulatory assist systems and related methods produce a pulsatile blood flow in synchronization with heart activity. A mechanical circulatory assist system includes a continuous-flow pump and a controller. The continuous-flow pump is implantable in fluid communication with a left ventricle of a heart of a patient and an aorta of the patient to assist blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta. The controller includes a sensor that generates a signal indicative of an activity of the heart. The controller is operatively connected to the continuous-flow pump and configured to operate the continuous-flow pump in an artificial pulse mode in synchronization with the activity of the heart.

Mechanical circulatory assist systems and related methods produce a pulsatile blood flow in synchronization with heart activity. A mechanical circulatory assist system includes a continuous-flow pump and a controller. The continuous-flow pump is implantable in fluid communication with a left ventricle of a heart of a patient and an aorta of the patient to assist blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta. The controller includes a sensor that generates a signal indicative of an activity of the heart. The controller is operatively connected to the continuous-flow pump and configured to operate the continuous-flow pump in an artificial pulse mode in synchronization with the activity of the heart.

The present invention concerns a device for the ventricular emergency support, comprising: a first flexible catheter (2), with a variable transversal section, provided with an extremal balloon (7) for the controlled occlusion of the ascending aorta (AA) of the treated patient; a first pump (12), associated to said first catheter (2) for the aspiration and contemporary input of equivalent blood quantifies into the blood circle of the treated patient; a second flexible catheter (32), with a fixed transversal section, provided with a couple of extremal balloons (34), spaced apart, for the controlled occlusion of the inferior vena cava (CA) and of the superior vena cava (CD) of the treated patient; a second pump (35), associated to said first and second catheter (2, 32) for inflating and deflating said extremal balloons (7, 34) of said first and second catheter (2, 32); an electronic control unit (36) for adjusting and controlling the operational parameters of said first and second pump (12, 35), and for the detection of the cardiac parameters of the treated patient; rechargeable or network means (37, 38) for the power supply of above mentioned components.

The present invention concerns a device for the ventricular emergency support, comprising: a first flexible catheter (2), with a variable transversal section, provided with an extremal balloon (7) for the controlled occlusion of the ascending aorta (AA) of the treated patient; a first pump (12), associated to said first catheter (2) for the aspiration and contemporary input of equivalent blood quantifies into the blood circle of the treated patient; a second flexible catheter (32), with a fixed transversal section, provided with a couple of extremal balloons (34), spaced apart, for the controlled occlusion of the inferior vena cava (CA) and of the superior vena cava (CD) of the treated patient; a second pump (35), associated to said first and second catheter (2, 32) for inflating and deflating said extremal balloons (7, 34) of said first and second catheter (2, 32); an electronic control unit (36) for adjusting and controlling the operational parameters of said first and second pump (12, 35), and for the detection of the cardiac parameters of the treated patient; rechargeable or network means (37, 38) for the power supply of above mentioned components.

A blood pump system is implantable in a patient for ventricular support. A pumping chamber has an inlet for receiving blood from a ventricle of the patient. An impeller is received in the pumping chamber. A motor is coupled to the impeller for driving rotation of the impeller. A motor controller is provided for tracking systolic and diastolic phases of a cardiac cycle of the patient and supplying a variable voltage signal to the motor in a variable speed mode to produce a variable impeller speed linked to the cardiac cycle. The impeller speed comprises a ramping up to an elevated speed during the diastolic phase in order to reduce a load on the ventricle at the beginning of the systolic phase.

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.