A blood pump system includes a catheter, a pump housing disposed distal of a distal end of the catheter, a rotor positioned at least partially in the pump housing, a controller, and an electrode coupled a distal region of the blood pump. The electrode can be used to sense electrocardiogram (EKG) signals and transmit the signals to a controller of the blood pump. The operation of the blood pump can be adjusted based on the EKG signal and on cardiac parameters derived from the EKG signal. Further, the controller can determine a need for defibrillation or pacing of the patient's heart based on the signal and can administer treatment with electrical shocks to the heart via the electrode coupled to the blood pump. The use of an electrode with a blood pump already in place in the heart allows for more efficient and safer treatment of serious cardiac conditions.

A blood pump system includes a catheter, a pump housing disposed distal of a distal end of the catheter, a rotor positioned at least partially in the pump housing, a controller, and an electrode coupled a distal region of the blood pump. The electrode can be used to sense electrocardiogram (EKG) signals and transmit the signals to a controller of the blood pump. The operation of the blood pump can be adjusted based on the EKG signal and on cardiac parameters derived from the EKG signal. Further, the controller can determine a need for defibrillation or pacing of the patient's heart based on the signal and can administer treatment with electrical shocks to the heart via the electrode coupled to the blood pump. The use of an electrode with a blood pump already in place in the heart allows for more efficient and safer treatment of serious cardiac conditions.

Mechanical circulatory supports configured to operate in series with the native heart are disclosed. In an embodiment, an intravascular propeller is installed into the descending aorta and anchored within via an expandable anchoring mechanism. The propeller and anchoring mechanism may be foldable so as to be percutaneously deliverable to the aorta. The propeller may have foldable blades. The blades may be magnetic and may be driven by a concentric electromagnetic stator circumferentially outside the magnetic blades. The stator may be intravascular or may be configured to be installed around the outer circumference of the blood vessel. The support may create a pressure rise between about 20-50 mmHg, and maintain a flow rate of about 5 L/min. The support may have one or more pairs of contra-rotating propellers to modulate the tangential velocity of the blood flow. The support may have static pre-swirlers and or de-swirlers. The support may be optimized to replicate naturally occurring vortex formation within the descending aorta.

A medical device with an implantable blood pump and a control and sensing unit configured to determine the flow rate generated by the blood pump when driven by an electric motor, wherein the flow rate is determined using peak-to-peak current data generated by the electric motor and, in some cases, associated heart rate data. In some embodiments, the validity of pulsatility of the resulting blood flow is determined and, if out of predetermined limits, an alarm may be actuated.

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 surrounded by a composite coating, the composite coating comprising, in the order recited, a first metal oxide layer, a metal layer, a second metal oxide layer, a linker layer, and a layer formed from poly(2-chloro-p-xylylene). In an alternative embodiment, a further metal layer and, optionally, a further metal oxide layer may be provided between the second metal oxide layer and the linker layer. In a further alternative embodiment, the metal layer may be omitted, and a further layer structure comprising at least one metal oxide layer, a linker layer, and a layer formed from poly(2-chloro-p-xylylene) may be provided instead.

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 surrounded by a composite coating, the composite coating comprising, in the order recited, a first metal oxide layer, a metal layer, a second metal oxide layer, a linker layer, and a layer formed from poly(2-chloro-p-xylylene). In an alternative embodiment, a further metal layer and, optionally, a further metal oxide layer may be provided between the second metal oxide layer and the linker layer. In a further alternative embodiment, the metal layer may be omitted, and a further layer structure comprising at least one metal oxide layer, a linker layer, and a layer formed from poly(2-chloro-p-xylylene) may be provided instead.

The invention relates to a fluid pump comprising at least one impeller blade (1, 1′, 1″) which is rotatable about an axis of rotation (3) and conveys a fluid in operation and comprising a support device (4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 12′, 13, 13′, 14, 14′, 15, 17) which supports the at least one impeller blade (1, 1′, 1″) in at least one support region, wherein the support device is change-able between a first state in which the rotor is radially compressed and a second state in which the rotor is radially expanded; and wherein at least one impeller blade extends at least partly radially inwardly with respect to the axis of rotation (3) from the support region/support regions in the radially expanded state of the rotor.

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.

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.

Apparatus is provided for treating heart failure, the apparatus including one or more propeller blades and a controller, which is configured to rotate the one or more propeller blades to produce continuous non-pulsatile blood flow not synchronized with a cardiac cycle of a subject. An intra-atrial anchor includes a stent surrounding the one or more propeller blades. The intra-atrial anchor is coupled to the one or more propeller blades and configured to be anchored in a left atrium of the subject so as to position the one or more propeller blades in the left atrium oriented such that the one or more propeller blades, when rotated by the controller, draw blood from the left atrium and expel the blood in the left atrium toward a mitral valve, thereby increasing atrial pressure above the mitral valve. Other embodiments are also described.