# US 11,298,522 B2 · Implantable pump system having an undulating membrane

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- Number: US 11,298,522 B2
- Document ID: US11298522B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/557,711
- Filed: 2019-08-30
- Published: 2019-12-19
- Granted: 2022-04-12
- Earliest claimed: 2016-04-11
- Assignees: CorWave SA
- Applicants: CorWave SA
- Inventors: Carl N. Botterbusch; Silvere Lucquin; Pier-Paolo Monticone; Jean-Baptiste Drevet; Adrien Guignabert; Patrick Meneroud
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11298522B2

## CPC

- A61M 60/148: in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
- A61M 60/585: User interfaces
- 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 60/268: the displacement member being flexible, e.g. membranes, diaphragms or bladders
- A61M 60/40: Details relating to driving
- A61M 60/462: Electromagnetic force
- A61M 60/531: using blood pressure data, e.g. from blood pressure sensors
- A61M 60/562: for making blood flow pulsatile in blood pumps that do not intrinsically create pulsatile flow
- A61M 60/569: synchronous with the native heart beat
- A61M 60/837: Aspects of flexible displacement members, e.g. shapes or materials
- A61M 60/857: Implantable blood tubes
- A61M 60/871: Energy supply devices; Converters therefor
- A61M 60/876: Implantable batteries
- 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)}

## Abstract

An implantable pump system is provided, suitable for use as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) system, having an implantable pump, an extracorporeal battery and a controller coupled to the implantable pump, and a programmer selectively periodically coupled to the controller to configure and adjust operating parameters of the implantable pump. The implantable pump includes a flexible membrane coupled to an actuator assembly that is magnetically engagable with electromagnetic coils, so that when the electromagnetic coils are energized, the actuator assembly causes wavelike undulations to propagate along the flexible membrane to propel blood from through the implantable pump. The controller may be programmed by a programmer to operate at frequencies and duty cycles that mimic physiologic flow rates and pulsatility while operating in an efficient manner that avoids thrombus formation, hemolysis and/or platelet activation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An implantable blood pump comprising:
a housing comprising an inlet and an outlet and configured to be implanted at a heart of a patient;
an actuator disposed within the housing and comprising a moving portion elastically coupled to the housing; and
a membrane assembly disposed within the housing and comprising a first edge coupled to the moving portion of the actuator and a second edge that is suspended via tension, the membrane assembly being in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet,
wherein the moving portion of the actuator is configured to assume a neutral position within the housing and configured to reciprocate thereby exciting the membrane assembly and inducing wavelike formations in at least a portion of the membrane assembly, causing blood to move from the inlet to the outlet.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The implantable blood pump of claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to alter a speed and a distance at which the moving portion of the actuator reciprocates to alter at least one of a frequency and an amplitude of the wavelike formations.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The implantable blood pump of claim 2, wherein altering at least one of the speed and distance alters a flow rate of the blood that moves from the inlet to the outlet.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The implantable blood pump of claim 2, wherein altering at least one of the speed and distance results in a physiological flow rate of the blood that moves from the inlet to the outlet.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The implantable blood pump of claim 2, wherein altering at least one of the speed and distance alters a pressure gradient of the blood.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The implantable blood pump of claim 2, wherein altering at least one of the speed and distance results in a physiological pressure gradient of the blood.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The implantable blood pump of claim 2, wherein the actuator is further configured to alter a duty cycle of the actuator and altering a duty cycle and at least one of the speed and distance results in physiological pulsatilities of the blood.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The implantable blood pump of claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to alter a duty cycle of the actuator to achieve a pulsatile blood flow.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The implantable blood pump of claim 8, wherein the pulsatile blood flow is achieved nearly instantaneously.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The implantable blood pump of claim 8, wherein the actuator is configured to alter a volumetric output of the implantable blood pump by varying the duty cycle without a loss of efficiency of the actuator.

### Claim 11

A method of propelling blood in an implantable blood pump implanted at a heart of a patient, the method comprising:
reciprocating a moving portion of an actuator that is elastically coupled to a housing of the implantable blood pump, the actuator disposed within the housing of the implantable blood pump; and
translating movement of the moving portion of the actuator to a membrane assembly, the membrane assembly having a first edge coupled to the moving portion of the actuator and a second edge that is suspended via tension,
wherein the moving portion of the actuator is designed to assume a neutral position within the housing and reciprocating the moving portion of the actuator excites the membrane assembly thereby inducing wavelike formations in at least a portion of the membrane assembly, causing blood to move from an inlet of the housing, along the wavelike formations, and to an outlet of the housing.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising causing the actuator to alter at least one of a speed and a distance at which the moving portion of an actuator reciprocates to alter at least one of a frequency and an amplitude of the wavelike formations.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein causing the actuator to alter at least one of the speed and distance alters a flow rate of the blood that moves from the inlet to the outlet.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein causing the actuator to alter at least one of the speed and distance results in a physiologic flow rate of the blood that moves from the inlet to the outlet.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein causing the actuator to alter at least one of the speed and distance alters a pressure gradient of the blood.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein causing the actuator to alter at least one of the speed and distance results in a physiological pressure gradient of the blood.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising causing the actuator to alter a duty cycle of the moving portion of an actuator, wherein causing the actuator to alter the duty cycle and at least one of the speed and distance results in physiological pulsatilities.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising causing the actuator to vary a duty cycle of the moving portion of an actuator to achieve a pulsatile blood flow.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein pulsatile blood flow is achieved nearly instantaneously.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein causing the actuator to vary the duty cycle alters a volumetric output of the implantable blood pump without a loss of efficiency of the actuator.