Artificial heart

A biocompatible, implantable artificial heart, comprising:

• a housing having first and second inlet ports and first and second outlet ports;
• first and second flaccid bladders disposed in the housing, the first bladder communicating with the first inlet and outlet ports and the second bladder communicating with the second inlet and outlet ports;
• a pusher plate assembly positioned between the bladders including a pair of spaced pusher plates in continuous contact with each bladder, respectively, for alternately compressing and decompressing each bladder by back-and-forth motion of the pusher plate assembly;
• a pair of one-way inlet valves disposed directly within the first and second inlet ports, respectively, the inlet valves permitting blood to flow into but not out of the bladders;
• a pair of one-way outlet valves disposed directly within the first and second outlet ports, respectively, the outlet valves permitting blood to flow out of but not into the bladders;
• a drive system having a rotary drive shaft and a motor mounted in the housing to one side of the first and second bladders at a position offset from the pusher plate assembly, such that the motor is located at a position other than between the bladders, and the second bladder is located between the first bladder and the motor;
• and
• a mechanical linkage connecting the motor to the pusher plate assembly, the mechanical linkage transmitting unidirectional drive force from the motor to the pusher plate assembly to reciprocate the pusher plate assembly so that the first and second bladders alternately fill with and eject blood when the artificial heart is implanted in a host, said linkage including means for gradually varying speed of movement of the pusher plate assembly from a minimum that occurs when each bladder reaches maximum compression to a maximum that occurs approximately midway between associated minima.

A biocompatible, implantable artificial heart, comprising:

• a housing having first and second inlet ports and first and second outlet ports,
• first and second compressible flaccid bladders having rounded inner surfaces and each having a pair of tubular extensions configured for connection one each of the inlet and outlet ports, which bladders define first and second chambers in the housing, the first chamber communicating with the first inlet and outlet ports and the second chamber communicating with the second inlet and outlet ports,
• a pair of one-way inlet valves disposed directly within the first and second inlet ports, respectively, the inlet valves permitting blood to flow into but not out of the bladders,
• a pair of one-way outlet valves disposed directly within the first and second outlet ports, respectively, the outlet valves permitting blood to flow out of but not into the bladders, and
• a drive system for alternately compressing the chambers to fill and eject blood in a manner that resembles a natural heart, wherein the improvement comprises a system that varies speed of compression and decompression of the chambers from a minimum that occurs when each bladder reaches maximum compression to a maximum that occurs approximately midway between associated minima at a rate which varies as a sinusoidal curve as the speed of compression and decompression of each chamber moves from minimum to maximum speed and back to minimum speed again.