In some examples, a medical system includes a pump is configured to provide a pulsating blood flow. The pump may provide the pulsating flow to assist the pumping action of a heart. An impeller is configured to impart energy to the blood flow when the impeller rotates around an eye axis extending through an impeller eye defined by the impeller. The pump includes a magnetic bearing configured such that, as the impeller rotates around the eye axis, the eye axis translates around a post axis defined by a post mechanically supported by a pump housing. The medical system may include a controller configured to control a bearing magnetic field and/or a stator magnetic field to control a pressure of the pulsating flow and/or a speed of the pump.

In some examples, a medical system includes a pump is configured to provide a pulsating blood flow. The pump may provide the pulsating flow to assist the pumping action of a heart. An impeller is configured to impart energy to the blood flow when the impeller rotates around an eye axis extending through an impeller eye defined by the impeller. The pump includes a magnetic bearing configured such that, as the impeller rotates around the eye axis, the eye axis translates around a post axis defined by a post mechanically supported by a pump housing. The medical system may include a controller configured to control a bearing magnetic field and/or a stator magnetic field to control a pressure of the pulsating flow and/or a speed of the pump.

An intravascular blood pump having a drive section (11), a catheter (14) fastened to the drive section proximally and a pump section (12) fastened to the drive section distally possesses an electric motor (21) whose motor shaft (25) is mounted in the drive section (11) with two radial sliding bearings (27, 31) and an axial sliding bearing (40). During operation, purge fluid is conveyed through the bearing gap of the axial sliding bearing (40) and further through the radial sliding bearing (31) at the distal end of the drive section (11). The purge fluid is highly viscous, for example 20% glucose solution.

An intravascular blood pump having a drive section (11), a catheter (14) fastened to the drive section proximally and a pump section (12) fastened to the drive section distally possesses an electric motor (21) whose motor shaft (25) is mounted in the drive section (11) with two radial sliding bearings (27, 31) and an axial sliding bearing (40). During operation, purge fluid is conveyed through the bearing gap of the axial sliding bearing (40) and further through the radial sliding bearing (31) at the distal end of the drive section (11). The purge fluid is highly viscous, for example 20% glucose solution.

A blood pump comprises a pump casing having a blood flow inlet and a blood flow outlet, and an impeller arranged in said pump casing and rotatably supported in the pump casing by a bearing so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation. The impeller has blades for conveying blood from the blood flow inlet to the blood flow outlet. The bearing comprises at least one stationary bearing portion coupled to the pump casing and having a stationary bearing surface that faces radially outwards. The bearing further comprises a rotating bearing surface interacting with the stationary bearing surface to form the bearing, wherein the rotating bearing surface faces radially inwards and is formed on an exposed radially inner edge of the blades. The blades are designed to draw blood deposit on the stationary bearing surface in a radially outward direction.

A blood pump comprises a pump casing having a blood flow inlet and a blood flow outlet, and an impeller arranged in said pump casing and rotatably supported in the pump casing by a bearing so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation. The impeller has blades for conveying blood from the blood flow inlet to the blood flow outlet. The bearing comprises at least one stationary bearing portion coupled to the pump casing and having a stationary bearing surface that faces radially outwards. The bearing further comprises a rotating bearing surface interacting with the stationary bearing surface to form the bearing, wherein the rotating bearing surface faces radially inwards and is formed on an exposed radially inner edge of the blades. The blades are designed to draw blood deposit on the stationary bearing surface in a radially outward direction.

This centrifugal blood pump apparatus includes an impeller (10) provided in a blood chamber (7), and a plurality of coils (20) provided in a motor chamber (8) for driving the impeller (10) to rotate with a dividing wall (6) interposed therebetween. A flexible substrate (23) in the shape of a strip is arranged to surround outer circumferences of the plurality of coils (20), and is connected to the plurality of coils (20) and a connector (24). A driving voltage (VU, VV, VW) is externally supplied to the plurality of coils (20) via the connector (24) and the flexible substrate (23). Thus, assembling workability, productivity and reliability are improved.

A pump device (10) includes a housing (30) including a blood inflow port (38) through which blood flows in, and having a fixed-side repulsive magnet (44) disposed in an annular manner; and an impeller (14) that is rotatably housed inside the housing (30), and having a movable-side repulsive magnet (56) disposed in an annular manner. The fixed-side repulsive magnet (44) is disposed in a position offset toward the blood inflow port (38) side relative to the movable-side repulsive magnet (56). In the fixed-side repulsive magnet (44) and the movable-side repulsive magnet (56), a fixed-side repulsive surface (44a) and a movable-side repulsive surface (56a) adjacent to each other have the same polarity.

A pump device (10) includes a housing (30) including a blood inflow port (38) through which blood flows in, and having a fixed-side repulsive magnet (44) disposed in an annular manner; and an impeller (14) that is rotatably housed inside the housing (30), and having a movable-side repulsive magnet (56) disposed in an annular manner. The fixed-side repulsive magnet (44) is disposed in a position offset toward the blood inflow port (38) side relative to the movable-side repulsive magnet (56). In the fixed-side repulsive magnet (44) and the movable-side repulsive magnet (56), a fixed-side repulsive surface (44a) and a movable-side repulsive surface (56a) adjacent to each other have the same polarity.

Apparatus comprising and methods are described including a blood pump that includes an axial shaft, and an impeller disposed on the axial shaft. The impeller is configured to pump blood of the subject by rotating. The impeller and the axial shaft are configured to undergo axial back-and-forth motion during operation of the impeller. A distal tip element is disposed at a distal end of the blood pump. The distal tip element defines an axial-shaft-receiving tube, configured to receive at least a portion of the axial shaft during forward motion of the axial shaft. The distal tip element additionally defines an atraumatic distal tip portion disposed distally of the axial-shaft-receiving tube. Other applications are also described.