A centrifugal pump includes a rotating shaft, a pump substrate, a housing and an impeller. The pump substrate has a driving unit configured to rotate the rotating shaft. The housing has an inlet and an outlet and forms a pump chamber with the pump substrate. A body fluid sucked from the inlet flows through the pump chamber. The impeller is housed in the pump chamber and is configured to use the rotating shaft as an axis. The pump substrate has a magnetism generating source. The rotating shaft protrudes into the pump chamber from the pump substrate, and is pivotally supported on the pump substrate. A magnetic fluid is disposed on at least one of spaces formed among the pump substrate, the rotating shaft, and the impeller.

This invention is directed to a corrosion resistant permanent magnet, to a method for producing a corrosion resistant permanent magnet, and to an intravascular blood pump comprising the magnet. The magnet is corrosion resistant due to a composite coating comprising a metal layer, optionally a metal oxide layer, a layer formed from poly(2-chloro-p-xylylene), and a linker layer between the metal oxide layer and the poly(2-chloro-p-xylylene) layer.

A heart assist device comprising a rotary pump housing having a cylindrical bore, a pumping chamber and a motor stator including an electrically conductive coil located within the housing and surrounding a portion of the cylindrical bore. A rotor has a cylindrical shaft, at least one impeller appended to one end of the shaft, and a plurality of magnets located within the shaft. The rotor shaft is positioned within the housing bore with the magnets opposite the motor stator, and the impeller is positioned within the pumping chamber. The housing bore is closely fitted to the outer surface of the shaft forming a hydrodynamic journal bearing, with the pumping chamber and journal bearing connected by a leak path of blood flow between the pumping chamber and the journal bearing. A backiron of the motor stator attracts the rotor magnets to resist longitudinal displacement of the rotor within the housing during operation. The relative orientation of positions of the inflow, outflow, and leakage flow paths may be varied within the pump, such as to accommodate different intended methods for implantation and/or use.

Catheter device, having a hollow catheter in the catheter cavity of which a moveable shaft is guided, having a proximal coupling device, for detachable coupling of a drive device, the coupling device having a coupling cavity which is open towards the drive device and into which the shaft or an extension of the shaft protrudes with a connection element for mechanical coupling of a motor shaft, the coupling cavity having a germ barrier for reducing the pathogenicity of pathogenic substances or microorganisms.

A catheter assembly can include a cannula disposed at a distal portion of the catheter assembly. The cannula can have a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The cannula can be arranged to permit the flow of blood therethrough when in the expanded configuration. The catheter assembly can comprise a tip member coupled with a distal portion of the cannula. A guide feature can be configured to receive a guidewire through a guide lumen formed through the guide feature. The catheter assembly can be configured such that, when the catheter assembly is inserted into a patient with the guidewire, the guidewire passes through the guide lumen and along at least a portion of an outer surface of the catheter assembly.

An impeller includes a hub and a blade supported by the hub. The impeller has a stored configuration in which the blade is compressed so that its distal end moves towards the hub, and a deployed configuration in which the blade extends away from the hub. The impeller may be part of a pump for pumping fluids, such as blood, and may include a cannula having a proximal portion with a fixed diameter, and a distal portion with an expandable diameter. The impeller may reside in the expandable portion of the cannula. The cannula may have a compressed diameter which allows it to be inserted percutaneously into a patient. Once at a desired location, the expandable portion of the cannula may be expanded and the impeller expanded to the deployed configuration. A flexible drive shaft may extend through the cannula for rotationally driving the impeller within the patient.

A catheter pump is disclosed. The catheter pump can include an impeller and a catheter body having a lumen in which waste fluid flows proximally therethrough during operation of the catheter pump. The catheter pump can also include a drive shaft disposed inside the catheter body. A motor assembly can include a chamber. The motor assembly can include a rotor disposed in the at least a portion of the chamber, the rotor mechanically coupled with a proximal portion of the drive shaft such that rotation of the rotor causes the drive shaft to rotate, the rotor including a longitudinal rotor lumen therethrough. The motor assembly can also comprise a stator assembly disposed about the rotor. During operation of the catheter pump, the waste fluid flows from the lumen into the chamber such that at least a portion of the waste fluid flows proximally through the longitudinal rotor lumen.

A system and method are disclosed in the field of preparing a catheter for use in a patient, in particular a catheter of an intravascular blood pump, more specifically for properly purging and de-airing the catheter. The catheter comprises an elongate tubular portion and a connected device. The elongate tubular portion is configured to be inserted into a patient's blood vessel and defines a lumen. The connected device is connected to the elongate tubular portion and has a cavity, which may accommodate a drive unit of the blood pump, and which is in fluid communication with the lumen of the elongate tubular portion. In order to securely de-air the system, a sensor, such as an accelerometer, for detecting an orientation of the connected device is provided, and a user may be guided to correct the orientation of the connected device for proper purging.

A system and method are disclosed in the field of preparing a catheter for use in a patient, in particular a catheter of an intravascular blood pump, more specifically for properly purging and de-airing the catheter. The catheter comprises an elongate tubular portion and a connected device. The elongate tubular portion is configured to be inserted into a patient's blood vessel and defines a lumen. The connected device is connected to the elongate tubular portion and has a cavity, which may accommodate a drive unit of the blood pump, and which is in fluid communication with the lumen of the elongate tubular portion. In order to securely de-air the system, a sensor, such as an accelerometer, for detecting an orientation of the connected device is provided, and a user may be guided to correct the orientation of the connected device for proper purging.

A heart pump assembly includes an elongate catheter with a proximal portion and a distal portion, a rotor at the distal portion of the elongate catheter, a driveshaft, and a bearing. The rotor can include an impeller blade shaped to induce fluid flow in a first axial direction. The drive shaft may be coupled to or integrally formed with a proximal end of the rotor and can include a pump element formed in a surface of the drive shaft. The bearing can include a bore into which the drive shaft extends. The pump element is shaped so as to induce fluid flow through the bore in a second axial direction which can be the same or opposite to the first axial direction.