An intravascular blood pump having a rotatable shaft carrying an impeller and a housing with an opening through which the shaft extends with the impeller positioned outside the housing. The shaft and the housing have surfaces forming a circumferential gap which converges towards the impeller-side end of the gap and which has a minimum gap width of preferably no more than 5 μm, more preferably no more than 2 μm.

A connection system for an implantable blood pump including a pump housing having an impeller disposed therein and a motor housing including a motor disposed therein, the motor housing spaced a distance from the pump housing. A flexible outer sheath couples the pump housing to the motor housing, the outer sheath defining a maximum total length between 7 and 10 centimeters. An inner shaft is coaxial with the outer sheath and couples the motor to the impeller.

A connection system for an implantable blood pump including a pump housing having an impeller disposed therein and a motor housing including a motor disposed therein, the motor housing spaced a distance from the pump housing. A flexible outer sheath couples the pump housing to the motor housing, the outer sheath defining a maximum total length between 7 and 10 centimeters. An inner shaft is coaxial with the outer sheath and couples the motor to the impeller.

A control device for a ventricular assist device (VAD) with settable speed levels. The control device includes an input configured to receive at least one measuring signal related to a physiological condition of the circulatory system of a patient receiving heart assistance by the VAD, where the control device is configured to derive an actual value of at least one characteristic parameter of the heart from one or more of the at least one measuring signal and to provide a refined actual value of the at least one characteristic parameter in which effects of physiologically caused fluctuations are eliminated or reduced. The control device further includes an output configured to output an updated setting value for the speed level, where the control device is configured to produce the updated setting value based on the refined actual value and a predeterminable set-point value.

A sealed micropump includes an integrated motor and at least one impeller for generating fluid flow inside a housing of the micropump. The impeller includes a radial sliding bearing with a spider bearing for supporting an impeller pin of the impeller inside the housing. The impeller pin includes a sheathing of a material different from a material of the spider bearing.

A sealed micropump includes an integrated motor and at least one impeller for generating fluid flow inside a housing of the micropump. The impeller includes a radial sliding bearing with a spider bearing for supporting an impeller pin of the impeller inside the housing. The impeller pin includes a sheathing of a material different from a material of the spider bearing.

A hemodynamic flow assist device includes a miniature pump, a basket-like cage enclosing and supporting the pump, and a motor to drive the pump. The device is implanted and retrieved in a minimally invasive manner via percutaneous access to a patient's artery. The device has a first, collapsed configuration to assist in implantation and a second, expanded configuration once deployed and active. The device is deployed within a patient's aorta and is secured in place via a self-expanding cage which engages the inner wall of the aorta. The device includes a helical screw pump with self-expanding blades, sensors, and anchoring structures. Also disclosed is a retrieval device to remove the hemodynamic flow assist device once it is no longer needed by the patient and an arterial closure device to close the artery access point after implantation and removal of the hemodynamic flow assist device. The hemodynamic flow assist device helps to increase blood flow in patients suffering from congestive heart failure and awaiting heart transplant.

Apparatus and methods for driving a circulatory assist device with motive power from a fluid motor. In one example a parallel plate Tesla-type of motor extracts power from the circulatory system of a biological unit to drive a non-positive displacement pump and increase blood pressure in the biological unit.

Apparatus and methods for driving a circulatory assist device with motive power from a fluid motor. In one example a parallel plate Tesla-type of motor extracts power from the circulatory system of a biological unit to drive a non-positive displacement pump and increase blood pressure in the biological unit.

Provided is a left ventricular assist system that includes at least: a blood pump; and a controller that controls the rotation of a rotary body of the blood pump. The controller controls the blood pump such that a rotational speed of the rotary body is periodically switched between a first rotational speed and a second rotational speed that is larger than the first rotational speed with a transition time required for switching the rotational speed set to substantially 0 (zero). Periodic switching of the rotational speed of the rotary body is asynchronous with a cardiac cycle of a user, and the rotary body rotates substantially only at rotational speeds of two values consisting of the first rotational speed and the second rotational speed.