Muscle and air powered LVAD
AssigneeUniversity of Utah Research Foundation
InventorsWillem J. Kolff, Stephen R. Topaz, N. Dan Bishop
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for providing ventricular assist to a patient with a weak or nonfunctional heart includes attaching an artificial ventricle to a patient and pumping said artificial ventricle with a muscle powered hydraulic pump. This method is enhanced by supplementing said artificial ventricle as needed with a pneumatic pumping system which is hermetically sealed from the hydraulic fluid. The hydraulic pumping power is amplified by driving a first pumping member of larger dimension against a second pumping member of smaller dimension to thereby supply increased force to overcome existing blood pressure.
Claims6
A method for providing ventricular assist to a patient with a weak or nonfunctional heart, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) attaching an artificial ventricle to the patient in a ventricular assist location;
- b) pumping the artificial ventricle with a muscle powered pump which supplies a fluid as a driving force to pump blood from the artificial ventricle to the patient;
- c) amplifying pumping pressure of the muscle powered pump by
- (i) directing the driving force onto a first pumping member having a contacting side of larger dimension;
- and
- (ii) directing said contacting side of said first pumping member against a contacting side of smaller dimension of a second pumping member without directing said first pumping member against any other pressure-resistant member to thereby transfer the driving force as increased pressure onto said second pumping member.
A method for providing ventricular assist to a patient with a weak or nonfunctional heart, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) attaching an artificial ventricle to the patient in a ventricular assist location;
- b) pumping the artificial ventricle with a muscle powered pump which supplies a liquid actuated driving force to pump blood from the artificial ventricle to the patient;
- and
- c) supplementing the artificial ventricle as needed with a pneumatic pumping system sealed from the liquid that operates with respect to the same ventricle;
- wherein step (b) further comprises directing the driving force to one side of a pumping member having opposing sides, and wherein step (c) further comprises applying a pneumatic pumping force to a side of said pumping member opposite said one side.
A method for providing ventricular assist to a patient with a weak or nonfunctional heart, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) attaching an artificial ventricle to the patient in a ventricular assist location;
- b) pumping the artificial ventricle with a muscle powered pump which supplies a liquid actuated driving force to pump blood from the artificial ventricle to the patient;
- and
- c) supplementing the artificial ventricle as needed with a pneumatic pumping system sealed from the liquid that operates with respect to the same ventricle;
- wherein step (c) further comprises pumping the pneumatic pumping system in counterpulsation to the liquid actuated driving force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.