Rotary blood pump

A centrifugal blood pump comprising:

• a housing having a pumping chamber, an inlet with an inlet axis, and an outlet with an outlet axis, the inlet and the outlet being in fluid communication with the pumping chamber;
• an impeller rotatably disposed within the pumping chamber;
• at least one bearing supporting the impeller within the pumping chamber;
• and
• a strut connected to the housing at the inlet to support at least a portion of the bearing;
• wherein the strut has a first radial end fixed to an inner sidewall of the housing and a second free radial end extending radially inward toward the inlet axis, wherein the second free radial end is free of additional structure, wherein the strut has a teardrop cross-sectional shape and widens from a first axial end defining a leading edge proximate the inlet to a maximum thickness point and then gradually narrows to a second axial end defining a trailing edge, wherein the leading edge slopes from the first radial end downward toward the impeller at the second free radial end.

A centrifugal blood pump comprising:

• a housing having a pumping chamber, an inlet with an inlet axis, and an outlet with an outlet axis, the inlet and the outlet being in fluid communication with the pumping chamber;
• an impeller rotatably disposed within the pumping chamber;
• at least one bearing supporting the impeller within the pumping chamber;
• and
• a strut connected to the housing at the inlet to support at least a portion of the bearing;
• wherein the strut has a first radial end fixed to an inner sidewall of the housing and a second radial end extending radially inward toward the inlet axis, wherein the second radial end defines an inner radial face extending axially from a first axial end of the strut to a second axial end of the strut, wherein the inner radial face is spaced apart by a gap from the inner sidewall, wherein the gap is devoid of structure, wherein the strut has a teardrop cross-sectional shape and widens from the first axial end defining a leading edge proximate the inlet to a maximum thickness point and then gradually narrows to the second axial end defining a trailing edge, wherein the leading edge slopes downward away from the inlet as the leading edge extends from the inner sidewall toward the inlet axis.