Implantable electric axial-flow blood pump

An implantable blood pump comprising:

• a) a cylindrical blood conduit;
• b) a motor stator surrounding said blood conduit;
• c) a pump rotor having inlet and outlet ends and containing a motor rotor for motive interaction with said motor stator, said pump rotor being arranged to rotate in said blood conduit;
• d) inlet stator blades disposed in said blood conduit, said inlet stator blades supporting an inlet hub;
• e) outlet stator blades disposed in said blood conduit, said outlet stator blades supporting an outlet hub;
• and
• f) a ball-and-cup structure interposed between each of said inlet and outlet ends of said pump rotor and the corresponding one of said hubs for supporting said rotor, said ball-and-cup structures being washed by the blood flow through said blood conduit;
• g) said ball-and-cup structure having a substantially smaller diameter than said, pump rotor and presenting to said blood flow a substantially continuous surface through which substantially no blood can penetrate between said ball and cup.