Pump regulation based on heart size and function
AssigneeLifebridge Technologies LLC
InventorMark P. Anstadt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are techniques to generate ideal or near ideal profiles for regulation of the volume of fluid flow in a drive system of a pump for an externally mechanically supported heart, pressure in or near the pump, or measured strain/strain rates of the supported heart, based on an estimate/measurement of the heart's size. A part of the techniques for regulation may focus on achieving mechanical synchrony with the intrinsic cyclic pump function of a partially functional heart. The techniques do not fundamentally rely on hemodynamic measurements to function. However, when hemodynamic measures are available, those measures can be fed to control algorithms to increase the efficacy of regulation to restore the heart's pump function.
Claims16
A method of regulating a pump to support a partially or fully dysfunctional heart wherein the pump imparts external force to an outer surface of the heart, the method comprising:
- obtaining an initial value for a selected dimension of the heart, wherein the selected dimension is a total volume occupied by an entire portion of the heart just below atrio-ventricular valves including the heart's ventricular walls and ventricular chambers as well as blood contained therein at the end of diastole, and wherein the selected dimension is incorporated in an algorithm that regulates the pump, wherein the pump is regulated by selecting one or more of the following control mechanisms:
- controlling a volume of flow of a fluid in the pump, controlling a pressure of fluid in the pump, and, controlling a function of the pump based on one or both of a strain and a strain rate in a wall of the heart;
- measuring or estimating periodic changes in the selected dimension of the heart to update the algorithm;
- and
- imparting external force by the pump to the outer surface of the heart based on the algorithm.
A method of regulating a pump to support a partially dysfunctional heart, wherein the pump imparts external force to an outer surface of the heart, the method comprising:
- obtaining an initial value for a selected dimension of the heart, wherein the selected dimension is a total volume occupied by an entire portion of the heart just below atrio-ventricular valves including the heart's ventricular walls and ventricular chambers as well as blood contained therein at the end of diastole, wherein the selected dimension is incorporated in an algorithm that regulates the pump, wherein the pump is regulated by selecting one or more of the following control mechanisms:
- controlling a volume of flow of a fluid in the pump, controlling a pressure of fluid in the pump, and, controlling a function of the pump based on one or both of a strain and a strain rate in a wall of the heart;
- measuring or estimating:
- periodic changes in a native contraction parameter of the heart;
- adjusting a parameter of the pump in the algorithm that corresponds to the native contraction parameter of the heart to mechanically synchronize the parameter of the pump with the native contraction parameter of the heart such that a first waveform physiologically generated by the heart substantially conforms with a second waveform generated by the pump;
- and
- imparting external force by the pump to the outer surface of the heart based on the algorithm.
A method of regulating a pump to support a partially or fully dysfunctional heart, wherein the pump imparts external force to an outer surface of the heart, the method comprising:
- obtaining an initial value for a selected dimension of the heart, wherein the selected dimension is a total volume occupied by an entire portion of the heart just below atrio-ventricular valves including the heart's ventricular walls and ventricular chambers as well as blood contained therein at the end of diastole, wherein the selected dimension is incorporated in an algorithm that regulates the pump, wherein the pump is regulated by selecting one or more of the following control mechanisms:
- controlling a volume of flow of a fluid in the pump, controlling a pressure of fluid in the pump, and, controlling a function of the pump based on one or both of a strain and a strain rate in a wall of the heart, wherein the algorithm has a mechanical synchrony component;
- measuring or estimating periodic changes in the selected dimension of the heart to update the algorithm;
- responsive to determining that the heart is partially functional, measuring periodic changes in a native contraction parameter of the heart;
- adjusting a parameter of the pump in the mechanical synchrony component of the algorithm that corresponds to the native contraction parameter of the heart to mechanically synchronize the parameter of the pump with the native contraction parameter of the heart such that a first waveform physiologically generated by the heart substantially conforms with a second waveform generated by the pump;
- and
- imparting external force by the pump to the outer surface of the heart based on the algorithm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.