Supporting a heart
AssigneeAdjuCor GmbH
InventorsStephen Manuel Wildhirt, Andreas Maier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heart support system featuring a constraint sized to fit about at least a portion of an adult human heart in a living body, an expandable chamber disposed within the constraint so as to apply pressure against the heart when expanded and a connector system including a pneumatic connection port in hydraulic communication with the expandable chamber. The heart support system can include a supply unit with: a source of pressurized fluid and a pneumatic supply line extending from the pressurized fluid source. The pneumatic supply line is connectable to the pneumatic connection port.
Claims21
A heart support system comprising
- a constraint sized to fit about at least a portion of an adult human heart in a living body;
- an expandable chamber disposed within the constraint so as to apply pressure against the heart when expanded;
- and
- a connector system including a pneumatic connection port in hydraulic communication with the expandable chamber.
A method of supporting a heart, the method comprising:
- inserting a heart constraint into a living body;
- positioning the heart constraint about at least a portion of a heart within the body, with an expandable chamber disposed between the heart constraint and the heart;
- connecting a source of pressurized fluid to the expandable chamber;
- and then
- expanding the chamber to apply pressure to the heart, by causing pressurized fluid to flow into the chamber from the pressurized fluid source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.