Invention:
This invention is a pump system developed to serve as an artificial heart. This is an electrically driven device without fixed valves that functions with "functional equivalents" of valves via a sliding vane. The vane serves to propel flow as well as to partition flow. A high bandwidth positive displacement reversible pump/motor with two embodiments is proposed.
Background:
More than 5 million Americans have heart failure, with 670,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices, such as ventricular assist devices (VADs) and total artificial heart (TAH), have emerged as approved frontline therapy, providing restoration of failing circulation, as either a bridge to transplantation, or an alternative to transplantation as destination therapy. While MCS is vital and effective in restoring hemodynamics, sadly, more than 70% of implanted MCS patients require re-hospitalization within one year of implant due to thrombosis and/or bleeding. Additionally, infection from device bulk and exiting drivelines is a major limitation as well.
Most current MCS devices are either piston-cylinder-like positive displacement architectures (SynCardia, Carmat, Berlin Heart) with valves to direct flow directions or fast spinning turbine or centrifugal architectures. The proposed invention architectures are able to generate the same amount of required flow rate with a more compact size and at a dramatically reduced speed due to its positive displacement feature. The reduced speed would lead to lower shear stress on blood and lower blood damage. As positive displacement architectures, valves are eliminated, thus reducing valve-related blood damage.
Applications:
- Total artificial heart (TAH)
- Ventricular assist device (VAD)
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system (ECMO)
- Power supply for soft robots
- Surgical platform using soft catheter robots
Advantages:
- Positive displacement
- Compact
- High bandwidth
- Reversible
- High power density
