# US 4,397,617 A · Heart pump for the circulation of blood outside the body of a living subject

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- Number: US 4,397,617 A
- Document ID: US4397617A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/199,494
- Filed: 1980-10-22
- Granted: 1983-08-09
- Earliest claimed: 1980-05-12
- Assignees: Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche
- Inventors: Carbonini Sergio; Giancarlo Pelosi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4397617A

## CPC

- A61M 60/851: Valves
- A61M 60/104: Extracorporeal pumps, i.e. the blood being pumped outside the patient's body
- A61M 60/279: Peristaltic pumps, e.g. roller pumps
- A61M 60/438: the force acting on the blood contacting member being mechanical
- A61M 60/849: Disposable parts
- A61M 60/892: Active valves, i.e. actuated by an external force
- A61M 60/894: Passive valves, i.e. valves actuated by the blood
- 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 heart pump for the circulation of blood outside of the body of a living subject is described. The pump permits to slow up the speed of the flow of the blood during the circulation outside of the body for the purpose of making determinations of hematochemical parameters of the blood by means of well known apparatuses. The pump comprises a body made of rigid material which is divided in the interior by means of separation plates into three chambers. The first and the last chambers simulate the function of the heart valve while the central chamber simulates the function of a ventricle. A flexible conduit is disposed in the interior of the pump. Blood circulates in the flexible conduit which extends in a rectilinear manner or wound spirally in the interior of the chambers which are completely filled up with incompressible fluid. The peristaltic action of the heart is simulated by means comprising pistons which are staggered and which act in correspondence to each chamber. The action of compression of the piston means corresponds to the compression of the flexible conduit, and therefore, its closure, while the action of depression corresponds to the opening of the flexible conduit. The alternate compression and depression action cause the advance of the flow of blood in the interior of the flexible conduit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A heart pump for the circulation of blood outside of the body of a living subject which comprises:
(a) a pump body (1) made of rigid material;
(b) a flexible tube made of elastic material through which the blood flows;
(c) sealing means (6) disposed in the interior of the body of the pump (1) capable of dividing the internal volume of the body (1) into separate chambers (3,4,5), a segment of the flexible tube going through each of the chambers, said chambers being completely filled of an incompressible fluid;
(d) means for preventing blockage of the flexible tube arranged in alignment with said sealing means (6) and capable of preventing the collapse of the flexible tube in the location corresponding to said sealing means;
(e) compression means associated with the valve body (1) and communicating with its interior being capable of imparting to the fluid contained in said chamber an alternating periodic action of compression and expansion, a central body (8) within the interior of the body of the pump made of rigid material; and
(f) wherein the first and the last chambers (3,5) are of length shorter than the central chamber (4), the length of the flexible tube segment (30) in said central chamber (4) being greater than the length of the flexible tube segments (21,39) respectively, in the first and last chambers (3,5), said segments of the flexible tube (21,39) in the first and the last chambers (3,5) being essentially rectilinear and the segment of the flexible tube (30) in the interior of the central chamber (4) is wound in a spiral fashion around said central body (8).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The heart pump according to claim 1, wherein the body (8) in the interior of the valve body (1) is provided with opening (9) capable of permitting the introduction of incompressible liquid in the interior volume of the body (8), said segments of the flexible tube (21,39) of the chambers (3,5) being located in said internal volume of body (8), said portion (30) of the flexible tube in the interior of the chamber (4) also being placed within the internal volume of the body (8).

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The heart pump according to claim 2, wherein each of said sealing means (6) is provided on both faces thereof with a substantially cylindrical projection made of rigid material, and the pump is provided with external blocking couplings, adapted to block one end of the flexible tube, each of said projections being provided with a longitudinal conduit communicating with the conduit of the projection of the adjacent chamber.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The heart pump according to claim 3, wherein the body (8) in the interior of the valve body (1) is made of segments, each of which is immovably attached to the ends of said sealing means (6).

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The heart pump according to claim 4, wherein each of the chambers (3,4,5) has associated piston means (50,51,52) staggered with respect to one another capable of generating in succession in said chambers by means of the incompressible liquid actions of compression and expansion of the flexible tube in the interior of which the blood flows and wherein said piston means have shafts (56,57,58) respectively, capable of rotating motion, and the pump comprises a system of cams associated with said shafts for the conversion of said rotating motion into an alternating motion and said piston means are provided with elastic means.