Cardiac assist device

An implantable cardiac assist device, comprising:

• an outer housing;
• a pump unit within the housing, having an inlet and outlet connectable to a patient's cardiovascular system and having a rotor portion therein rotatable to force blood entering the pump unit through the inlet out through the outlet, the rotor portion including an impeller formed of a resiliently deformable material;
• and
• a motor unit within the outer housing and hermetically sealed from the pump unit, the motor unit including control electronics and windings to produce a magnetic field couplable to the rotor portion, the motor unit being couplable to a power supply.

An implantable cardiac assist device, comprising:

• an outer housing;
• a pump unit within the housing, having an inlet and outlet connectable to a patient's cardiovascular system and having a rotor portion therein rotatable to force blood entering the pump unit through the inlet out through the outlet;
• a motor unit within the outer housing and hermetically sealed from the pump unit, the motor unit including control electronics and windings to produce a magnetic field couplable to the rotor portion, the motor unit being couplable to a power supply;
• an inflow cannula, implantable in the left atrium attached to the inlet, and an outflow cannula, implantable in the aorta:
• and
• permanently sealable shape memory metal valves disposed in the inflow cannula and the outflow cannula.