# US 11,559,690 B2 · Ventricular assist system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,559,690 B2 - Document ID: US11559690B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/219,510 - Filed: 2021-03-31 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Granted: 2023-01-24 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-30 - Assignees: Medtronic, Inc. - Applicants: Medtronic, Inc. - Inventors: Alan Cheng; Jian Cao; Hai Huang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11559690B2 ## CPC - A61N 1/0587: {Epicardial electrode systems; Endocardial electrodes piercing the pericardium} - A61N 1/3629: {in combination with non-electric therapy} - 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 60/232: Centrifugal pumps - A61M 60/515: Regulation using real-time patient data - A61M 60/816: Sensors arranged on or in the housing, e.g. ultrasonic flow sensors - A61M 60/857: Implantable blood tubes - A61N 1/05: for implantation or insertion into the body, e.g. heart electrode (A61N1/06 takes precedence) - A61N 1/36042: {of grafted tissue, e.g. skeletal muscle} - A61N 1/39622: {Pacing therapy} - A61N 1/0597: {Surface area electrodes, e.g. cardiac harness} - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) - 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 Various embodiments of a ventricular assist system and a method of using such system are disclosed. The system includes a pump adapted to be connected to a heart of a patient, an outflow cannula including a first end adapted to be connected to an outlet of the pump and a second end adapted to be connected to an artery of the patient, and an electrode disposed on an outer surface of the outflow cannula and adapted to be disposed adjacent to an exterior wall of the heart. The system further includes a controller electrically connected to the pump and the electrode, where the controller is adapted to provide a pacing signal to the electrode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A ventricular assist system comprising: a pump adapted to be connected to a heart of a patient; an outflow cannula comprising a first end adapted to be connected to an outlet of the pump and a second end adapted to be connected to an artery of the patient; a plurality of pacing electrodes disposed on an outer surface of the outflow cannula and adapted to be disposed adjacent to an exterior wall of the heart; and a controller electrically connected to the pump and the plurality of pacing electrodes, wherein the controller is adapted to provide a pacing signal to the heart of the patient via the plurality of pacing electrodes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pacing electrodes is adapted to provide the pacing signal from the controller to the heart of the patient. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a pump electrode disposed on the pump and adapted to be disposed adjacent to the exterior wall of the heart, wherein the pump electrode comprises at least one of a sensing, a pacing, or a defibrillation electrode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the pacing signal comprises a first pacing signal, wherein a first pacing electrode of the plurality of pacing electrodes is adapted to provide the first pacing signal, and wherein a second pacing electrode of the plurality of pacing electrodes is adapted to provide a second pacing signal from the controller to the heart of the patient. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the outflow cannula comprises a graft. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the graft comprises a gel-impregnated graft. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a first defibrillation electrode disposed on the outer surface of the outflow cannula and a second defibrillation electrode disposed on either the outer surface of the outflow cannula or the pump, wherein the first and second defibrillation electrodes are adapted to be disposed adjacent to the exterior wall of the heart, wherein the first and second defibrillation electrodes are electrically connected to the controller and adapted to provide a defibrillation signal from the controller to the heart of the patient. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the pump is adapted to be connected to a ventricle of a patient. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to select different pacing electrodes of the plurality of pacing electrodes to deliver pacing signals having different pacing vectors to the heart. ### Claim 10 A method comprising: connecting an inflow cannula of a pump to a portion of a heart of a patient; connecting an outlet of the pump to an outflow cannula; connecting the outflow cannula to an artery of the patient; electrically connecting a plurality of pacing electrodes disposed on an outer surface of the outflow cannula to a controller; disposing the plurality of pacing electrodes adjacent to an exterior wall of the heart of the patient; and delivering a pacing signal from the controller to the heart of the patient utilizing the plurality of pacing electrodes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein delivering the pacing signal comprises delivering a first pacing signal utilizing at least a first electrode of the plurality of pacing electrodes, and wherein the method further comprises: delivering a second pacing signal from the controller to the heart of the patient utilizing at least a second pacing electrode of the plurality of pacing electrodes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein delivering the pacing signal from the controller to the heart of the patient utilizing the plurality of electrodes comprises: selecting different pacing electrodes of the plurality of pacing electrodes to deliver pacing signals having different pacing vectors to the heart of the patient. ### Claim 13 An outflow cannula for a ventricular assist system, the outflow cannula comprising: a first end adapted to be connected to an outlet of a pump of the ventricular assist system and a second end adapted to be connected to an artery of a patient; first and second pacing electrodes disposed on an outer surface of the outflow cannula and adapted to be disposed adjacent to an exterior wall of the heart, wherein each of the first and second pacing electrodes are adapted to be electrically connected to a controller, wherein the first pacing electrode is adapted to deliver a first pacing signal from the controller to the heart and the second pacing electrode is adapted to deliver a second pacing signal from the controller to the heart; and a conductor disposed on the outer surface of the outflow cannula or within the outflow cannula and adapted to electrically connect the first and second pacing electrodes to the controller. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The outflow cannula of claim 13, wherein each of the first and second pacing electrodes comprises a ring electrode or a coil electrode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The outflow cannula of claim 13, further comprising a third pacing electrode that is adapted to be connected to be electrically connected to the controller and deliver a third pacing signal from the controller to the heart. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The outflow cannula of claim 15, wherein the third pacing electrode is disposed on the outer surface of the outflow cannula and adapted to be disposed adjacent to the exterior wall of the heart. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The outflow cannula of claim 15, wherein the third pacing electrode is disposed on the pump and adapted to be disposed adjacent to the exterior wall of the heart. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The outflow cannula of claim 13, further comprising a strain relief member disposed over a portion of the outflow cannula. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The outflow cannula of claim 18, wherein a portion of the strain relief member is disposed between at least one of the first pacing electrode, the second pacing electrode, or a third pacing electrode and the outflow cannula. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The outflow cannula of claim 13, further comprising a first defibrillation electrode disposed on the outer surface of the outflow cannula and a second defibrillation electrode disposed on either the outer surface of the outflow cannula or the pump, wherein the first and second defibrillation electrodes are adapted to be disposed adjacent to the exterior wall of the heart, wherein the first and second defibrillation electrodes are adapted to be electrically connected to the controller and provide a defibrillation signal from the controller to the heart of the patient.