# US 12,213,766 B2 · Heart beat identification and pump speed synchronization > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,213,766 B2 - Document ID: US12213766B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/212,844 - Filed: 2023-06-22 - Published: 2023-12-28 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-11 - Assignees: Tc1 LLC - Applicants: Tc1 LLC - Inventors: Alexander Medvedev; Shunzhou Yu; Ren You - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12213766B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/024: Measuring pulse rate or heart rate - A61B 5/02438: {with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient} - A61M 1/00: Suction or pumping devices for medical purposes; Devices for carrying-off, for treatment of, or for carrying-over, body-liquids; Drainage systems (catheters A61M25/00; tube connectors, tube couplings, valves or branch units specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; devices for taking samples of blood A61B5/15; filters implantable into blood vessels A61F2/01) - 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 60/216: including a rotating member acting on the blood, e.g. impeller - A61M 60/408: the force acting on the blood contacting member being mechanical, e.g. transmitted by a shaft or cable - A61M 60/515: Regulation using real-time patient data - A61M 60/538: Regulation using real-time blood pump operational parameter data, e.g. motor current - A61M 60/569: synchronous with the native heart beat - A61M 60/148: in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices - A61M 2205/3334: Measuring or controlling the flow rate - A61M 2230/04: Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulation - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - 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 A method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle includes obtaining a signal from a motor of a heart assist pump device and filtering the signal to remove noise. The method also includes determining a speed synchronization start point at which time the motor of the heart assist pump device will begin a change in speed of operation based on the filtered signal. The method further includes modulating a speed of the motor of the heart assist pump device to a target speed at the speed synchronization start point, thereby synchronizing the change in speed of operation with a patient's cardiac cycle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A heart assist pump device, comprising: a motor; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to: identify two or more prior pulses of a heartbeat; determine a pulse period based on the two or more prior pulses; determine a speed synchronization start point at which time the motor will begin a change in speed of operation based on the pulse period; and begin the change in speed of operation of the motor to a target speed at the speed synchronization start point, wherein changing the speed of the motor comprises one or both of increasing the speed of the motor during systole and decreasing the speed of the motor during diastole. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The heart assist pump device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: receive a signal from the motor, wherein identification of the two or more prior pulses is based on the signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The heart assist pump device of claim 2, wherein: the signal comprises a current or a power signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The heart assist pump device of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to: filter the signal to extract frequency range data that is concurrent with and representative of a heartbeat cycle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The heart assist pump device of claim 4, wherein: filtering the signal removes data having a frequency of less than 5 Hz. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The heart assist pump device of claim 4, wherein: the signal is filtered using an infinite impulse response filter. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The heart assist pump device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: determine, for the two or more prior pulses, that each of the two or more prior pulses is complete prior to determining the pulse period. ### Claim 8 A method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle, comprising: identifying two or more prior pulses of a heartbeat; determining a pulse period based on the two or more prior pulses; determining a speed synchronization start point at which time a motor of the heart assist pump will begin a change in speed of operation based on the pulse period; and begin the change in speed of operation of the motor to a target speed at the speed synchronization start point, wherein changing the speed of the motor comprises one or both of increasing the speed of the motor during systole and decreasing the speed of the motor during diastole. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle of claim 8, wherein: changing the speed of the motor comprises increasing the speed of the motor during systole and decreasing the speed of the motor during diastole. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle of claim 8, wherein: the two or more prior pulses are consecutive pulses. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle of claim 8, wherein: the two or more prior pulses are non-consecutive pulses. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle of claim 8, further comprising: redetermining the speed synchronization start point after a predetermined number of synchronized heartbeat counts. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle of claim 12, wherein: the predetermined number of synchronized heartbeat counts comprises 10 or fewer synchronized heartbeat counts. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle of claim 8, wherein: changing the speed of the motor comprises increasing the speed of the motor corresponding to an increase in a rate of a cardiac cycle of a patient. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executable by one or more processors to at least: identify two or more prior pulses of a heartbeat; determine a pulse period based on the two or more prior pulses; determine a speed synchronization start point at which time a motor of a heart pump device will begin a change in speed of operation based on the pulse period; begin the change in speed of operation of the motor to a target speed at the speed synchronization start point; and redetermine the speed synchronization start point after a predetermined number of synchronized heartbeat counts. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein: the speed synchronization start point is based on a data filter timing delay, a phase shift between left ventricle pressure and pumping flow and motor drive current or power, and pump speed ramp up and down time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein: the motor is configured to operate using one or more of a set current, a set motor speed, or a set flow rate. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein: changing the speed of the motor comprises one or both of increasing the speed during a systolic phase and decreasing the speed during a diastolic phase. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein: changing the speed of the motor comprises one or both of increasing the speed before a systolic phase and decreasing the speed before an end of the systolic phase. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein: determining whether a pulse is complete is based on at least one selection from a group consisting of: a mean amplitude of three or more previous pulses; a maximum amplitude of the pulse; a minimum amplitude of the pulse; tf (first falling-crossing time); tr (first rising-crossing time); tmin (minimum peak time point); and tmax (maximum peak time point).