# US 10,117,981 B2 · Platinum-cobalt-boron blood pump element > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,117,981 B2 - Document ID: US10117981B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/621,551 - Filed: 2012-09-17 - Published: 2014-03-20 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2008-02-08 - Assignees: HeartWare, Inc. - Applicants: HeartWare, Inc. - Inventors: Jeffrey A. LaRose; Charles R. Shambaugh, Jr. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10117981B2 ## CPC - F04D 29/026: {especially adapted for liquid pumps} - A61M 60/178: drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to the ventricle, e.g. left or right ventricular assist devices - A61M 60/237: the blood flow through the rotating member having mainly axial components, e.g. axial flow pumps - A61M 60/422: the force acting on the blood contacting member being electromagnetic, e.g. using canned motor pumps - A61M 60/806: Vanes or blades - A61M 60/81: Pump housings - A61M 60/824: Hydrodynamic or fluid film bearings - A61M 60/825: Contact bearings, e.g. ball-and-cup or pivot bearings - F04D 29/181: {Axial flow rotors (F04D29/185 take precedence)} - A61M 60/148: in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices - A61M 2205/02: characterised by a particular materials - F05D 2300/11: Iron - F05D 2300/143: Platinum group metals, i.e. Os, Ir, Pt, Ru, Rh, Pd - F05D 2300/17: Alloys - F05D 2300/507: Magnetic properties - F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02) - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS ## Abstract A magnetic impeller for a blood pump such as a magnetically driven, rotary ventricular assist device for pumping blood of a patient, the impeller comprising a magnetic alloy including platinum, cobalt, and boron. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rotatable impeller for assisting blood flow within a patient's vascular system, the impeller being magnetically driven and including a non-unitary body having an exterior layer and an interior portion opposite the exterior layer, the impeller being configured to be disposed within a housing including an outer diameter of between approximately 4.5 mm to 7.5 mm and having: at least one blade-like projection including: a first blood contacting surface comprising a biocompatible magnetic alloy including platinum, cobalt and boron, the first blood contacting surface forming a biocompatible surface area defining an entire magnetic and blood-contacting surface of the impeller. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rotatable impeller of claim 1, in which the biocompatible surface area comprises the exterior layer of the impeller and the first blood contacting surface is formed solely from the predetermined biocompatible alloy. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The rotatable impeller of claim 2, in which the predetermined biocompatible alloy consists essentially only of platinum, cobalt, and boron. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The rotatable impeller of claim 3, in which the predetermined biocompatible alloy comprises about 12 to 14 atomic percent of boron. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The rotatable impeller of claim 3, in which the predetermined biocompatible alloy comprises about 12 to 14 atomic percent of boron, and includes amounts of platinum and cobalt in a platinum-to-cobalt atomic percent ratio of 0.90 to 1.1 or to 1.2. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The rotatable impeller of claim 3, in which the predetermined biocompatible alloy comprises about 13 atomic percent of boron, 42 atomic percent of platinum, and 45 atomic percent of cobalt. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The rotatable impeller of claim 4, in which the predetermined biocompatible alloy has a coercivity range of 12 kOe to 14 kOe. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The rotatable impeller of claim 3, in which the biocompatible surface area comprises a plurality of magnetic poles. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The rotatable impeller of claim 8, further comprising an electromagnetic stator constructed and arranged to provide a magnetic field for spinning the impeller about an axis. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The rotatable impeller of claim 1, in which the first blood contacting surface of the biocompatible surface area of the at least one blade-like projection defines a plurality of projections, each of the projections separated by longitudinal blood flow spaces, each blood flow space having an inlet portion and an outlet portion substantially wider than the inlet portion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The rotatable impeller of claim 10, in which the inlet and outlet portions of each of the longitudinal blood flow spaces communicate with a circumferentially curved blood flow portion therebetween. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The rotatable impeller of claim 2, in which the interior portion includes a ferromagnetic material. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The rotatable impeller of claim 12, in which the ferromagnetic material comprises iron. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The rotatable impeller of claim 13, in which the ferromagnetic material comprises an alloy of iron and nickel. ### Claim 15 A rotatable impeller configured to be disposed within a housing including an outer diameter of between approximately 4.5 mm to 7.5 mm for assisting blood flow within a patient's vascular system, the impeller comprising: a non-unitary body having an exterior layer and an interior portion opposite the exterior layer, the non-unitary body having at least one blade-like projection including: a first blood contacting surface formed entirely from a magnetic biocompatible alloy including platinum, cobalt and boron, and defining an entire magnetic and blood-contacting surface of the impeller, wherein the impeller is electromagnetically coupled to rotate within a ventricular assist device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The rotatable impeller of claim 15, in which the predetermined biocompatible alloy consists only of platinum, cobalt, and boron and the first blood contacting surface of the impeller is formed as a single piece of the predetermined biocompatible alloy. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The rotatable impeller of claim 16, wherein the at least one blade-like projection having the first blood contacting surface of the impeller comprises a plurality of projections separated by a plurality of longitudinal blood flow spaces, each blood flow space having an inlet portion and an outlet portion substantially wider than the inlet portion. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The rotatable impeller of claim 17, in which the inlet and outlet portions of each of the longitudinal blood flow spaces communicates with a circumferentially curved blood flow portion therebetween. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The rotatable impeller of claim 15, in which, the exterior layer defines the entire blood contacting surface of the impeller. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The rotatable impeller of claim 19, in which the first blood contacting surface of the exterior layer consists only of platinum, cobalt, and boron. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The rotatable impeller of claim 15, in which the ventricular assist device is a single stage axial blood pump. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The rotatable impeller of claim 21, in which the housing is a cylindrical housing with an outer diameter of approximately 7.14 mm. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The rotatable impeller of claim 22, in which the outer diameter of the cylindrical housing is between 7.14 mm and 7.5 mm. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The rotatable impeller of claim 21, in which the ventricular assist device is comprised of a plurality of blood pumps connected in series, each blood pump having a cylindrical housing with an outer diameter of approximately 4.5 mm. ### Claim 25 A rotatable impeller configured to be disposed within a housing including an outer diameter of between approximately 4.5 mm to 7.5 mm for assisting blood flow within a patient's vascular system, the impeller being magnetically driven and having: a non-unitary body comprising: a first portion formed entirely of a magnetic biocompatible alloy including platinum, cobalt, and boron, the first portion including a plurality of projections defining a plurality of longitudinal blood flow spaces therebetween; a blood contacting surface formed entirely by the first portion of the non-unitary body; and an interior portion surrounded entirely by the blood contacting surface. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The rotatable impeller of claim 25, wherein the interior portion is comprised of a non-biocompatible material. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The rotatable impeller of claim 25, wherein each longitudinal blood flow space includes an inlet portion and an outlet portion substantially wider than the inlet portion. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The rotatable impeller of claim 27, in which the inlet and outlet portions of each of the longitudinal blood flow spaces communicates with a circumferentially curved blood flow portion therebetween.