US 6,066,086 A · Speed control system for implanted blood pumps

Abstract

An automatic speed control system continually adjusts the speed of an implanted cardiac assist blood pump to an optimum level for the varying physiological needs of the patient. It does this by periodically iteratively incrementing the speed setpoint of the pump. When the system detects the imminence of a ventricular collapse at diastole, it decrements the speed setpoint by a predetermined safety margin. An alarm condition is provided if the setpoint decrease results in an insufficient blood flow rate through the pump. The flow rate and imminence of ventricular collapse are computed in real time as functions of only the pump's motor current and speed setpoint.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A method of automatically controlling the speed of an axial flow ventricular assist device, in accordance with a patient's time-varying physiological requirements, comprising the steps of:

a) sensing the opening and closing of the aortic and mitral valves of the patient's heart;
and
b) maintaining said speed at a level where the aortic valve remains closed on most cycles of the patient's heartbeat to avoid ventricular collapse, and the mitral valve opens and closes on every cycle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

09/034,674Filed 4 Mar 1998 · continuation in part

Priority

1 Nov 1996

Granted

23 May 2000

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

A61M 60/422
For non-positive displacement blood pumps: the force acting on the blood contacting member being electromagnetic, e.g. using canned motor pumps
A61M 60/178
Implantable in, on, or around the heart: drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to…
A61M 60/232
The blood flow through the rotating member having mainly radial components: centrifugal pumps
A61M 60/237
Including a rotating member acting on the blood, e.g. impeller: the blood flow through the rotating member having mainly axial components, e.g.…

Speed control system for implanted blood pumps

Life of this patent

Speed control system for implanted blood pumps

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims4