US 6,302,910 B1 · Auxiliary artificial heart of an embedded type

Abstract

An artificial heart has a driving section, a nozzle section, a pump section for insertion into a ventricle of a human heart, and a sealing section forming a seal for a driving shaft extending from the driving section for driving the pump section. A sealing liquid chamber filled with a sealing liquid is formed around the driving shaft between the sealing mechanism and the driving section. The sealing liquid in the sealing liquid chamber maintains the sealing mechanism in a liquid-tight state and lubricates the sealing mechanism, whereby blood is prevented from entering the driving section. Even if blood happens to enter the driving section, the blood is mixed with the sealing liquid and does not coagulate. Thus, the operation of the artificial heart is not suppressed.

Claims1

Dependent claims

An artificial heart including a main body, said main body comprising:

(a) a pump section;
(b) a driving section having a driving shaft provided on a proximal end of said pump section for driving said pump via said driving shaft, said driving shaft having an outer peripheral surface;
(c) a sealing mechanism provided between said driving section and said pump section, for maintaining said driving shaft in a liquid-tight state and preventing blood from entering said driving section;
(d) a sealing liquid chamber surrounding said driving shaft between said sealing mechanism and said driving section;
said sealing liquid chamber being filled with a sealing liquid;
and
(e) vane projections formed adjacent to said sealing mechanism on said outer peripheral surface of said driving shaft, for agitating said sealing liquid therearound.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

09/469,290Filed 22 Dec 1999 · division

Priority

JP 4-18881323 Jun 1992

Granted

16 Oct 2001

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

A61M 60/863
Connections or anchorings for connecting or anchoring pumps or pumping devices to parts of the patient's body: apex rings
A61M 60/174
Inside a ventricle, e.g. intraventricular balloon pumps: discharging the blood to the ventricle or arterial system via a cannula internal to the…
A61M 60/196
Implantable pumps or pumping devices, i.e. the blood being pumped inside the patient's body: replacing the entire heart, e.g. total artificial…
A61M 60/216
Non-positive displacement blood pumps: including a rotating member acting on the blood, e.g. impeller

Family

Application08/079,817Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 22 Jun 1993

Application08/505,784Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 21 Jul 1995

Application08/603,193Parent of this division · filed 20 Feb 1996

Application08/603,193Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 6,302,910 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Auxiliary artificial heart of an embedded type

Life of this patent

Auxiliary artificial heart of an embedded type

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims1