Cardiac assist device employing electrically stimulated artificial muscle
OwnerThomas M. Rungeinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A left atrial to descending thoracic aorta shunt is encircled by an artificial muscle sheath consisting of a multiplicity of connected rod-like segments formed of an elastomer. Each segment contains a series of embedded electromagnets and surrounding dispersed fragments of magnetically attractable material. The electromagnets are energized across intact skin of a recipient of the device by state of the art induction means to cause contraction of the individual artificial muscle segments with resulting contraction of the muscle sheath to thereby squeeze cyclically a predetermined volume of blood through the flexible shunt which is equipped at opposite ends of the muscle sheath with check valves.
Claims9
A cardiac assist device comprising a tubular shunt adapted for extending from the left atrium to the descending thoracic aorta and having spaced check valves therein, and an artificial muscle sheath formed of an elastomer substantially surrounding said shunt in the region between said check valves, the artificial muscle sheath having magnetically attractable particles dispersed therethrough internally and also having internal electromagnet means adapted to be energized for magnetically attracting said dispersed particles and thereby contracting the artificial muscle sheath around said shunt and expelling blood from the shunt into the descending thoracic aorta.
An artificial muscle comprising an elastomer matrix, electromagnets embedded within said matrix and adapted to be energized by remote induction means coupled with coils of the electromagnets, particles of magnetically attractable material dispersed within said matrix in spaced relationship to one another and to said electromagnets, said artificial muscle elastomer matrix formed of multiple connected rod-like segments in side-by-side relationship, a plurality of series connected axially arranged spaced electromagnets embedded centrally in each rod-like segment, and a multiplicity of said magnetically attractable particles disposed in surrounding relationship to the electromagnets in each rod-like segment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.