Reciprocating intravascular blood pump

Abstract

Apparatus is provided for deployment in a lumen of a blood vessel of a subject. The apparatus includes a reciprocating device configured to move downstream and upstream in the blood vessel in a reciprocating pattern to provide: (i) a first effective surface area of the device for pushing blood downstream in the blood vessel during downstream motion of the reciprocating device, and (ii) second effective surface area of the device during upstream motion of the reciprocating device. The first effective surface area is larger for pushing blood in the blood vessel than the second effective surface area. The apparatus further includes a device driver configured to drive the reciprocating device in the reciprocating pattern. Other applications are also described.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.