Implantable cardiac therapy device

A method for treating cardiac insufficiency with an implantable cardiac therapy device comprising:

• pumping blood from a particular ventricle into an associated artery of a heart, to support or relieve the particular ventricle with a heart assist pump which is configured to connect to the particular ventricle of the heart and the associated artery;
• stimulating a heart contraction electrically with a stimulation unit,
• wherein said stimulation unit comprises at least one stimulation unit;
• controlling the heart assist pump and the stimulation unit in a coordinated manner with a control unit which is connected to the heart assist pump and the stimulation unit and wherein said controlling further comprises
• inducing synchronized motions of cardiac contraction with the stimulation unit while operating the heart assist pump in a ventricle-supporting manner;
• controlling stimulation therapy to synchronize a ventricle not connected to the heart assist pump with pumping function of the heart assist pump to achieve synchronous ventricular function with the control unit in combination with the at least one stimulation unit or a plurality of stimulation units;
• utilizing a delay between a point in time of an intended delivery of a right-ventricular stimulation pulse and an action of the heart assist pump coupled with a left ventricle of the heart with the control unit, wherein the action of the heart assist pump coupled with a left ventricle of the heart comprises left-ventricular pumping activity, and,
• wherein said delay time comprises two delay times and wherein the control unit is further configured to detect a course of right-ventricular contraction and contraction dynamics and to dynamically adapt the two delay times to resynchronization needs.

An implantable cardiac therapy device comprising

• a heart assist pump which is configured to connect to a particular ventricle of a heart and an associated artery, and configured to pump blood from the particular ventricle into the associated artery, to support or relieve the particular ventricle;
• a stimulation unit configured to electrically stimulate a heart contraction;
• and,
• a control unit which is connected to the heart assist pump and the stimulation unit and configured to control the heart assist pump and the stimulation unit in a coordinated manner such that
• the stimulation unit induces synchronized motions of cardiac contraction while the heart assist pump operates in a ventricle-supporting manner;
• said stimulation unit comprises at least one stimulation unit and said control unit, in combination with the at least one stimulation unit or a plurality of stimulation units, is configured to control stimulation therapy to synchronize a ventricle not connected to the heart assist pump with pumping function of the heart assist pump to achieve synchronous ventricular function,
• said control unit is configured to utilize a delay between a point in time of an intended delivery of a right-ventricular stimulation pulse and an action of the heart assist pump coupled with a left ventricle of the heart, said action of the heart assist pump coupled with a left ventricle of the heart comprises left-ventricular pumping activity, and,
• said delay time comprises two delay times configured to be programmed independently of one another, and said two delay times are started independently to determine the point in time of an intended delivery of a right-ventricular stimulation pulse with the control unit.

A method for treating cardiac insufficiency with an implantable cardiac therapy device comprising:

• pumping blood from a particular ventricle into an associated artery of a heart, to support or relieve the particular ventricle with a heart assist pump which is configured to connect to the particular ventricle of the heart and the associated artery;
• stimulating a heart contraction electrically with a stimulation unit,
• wherein said stimulation unit comprises at least one stimulation unit;
• controlling the heart assist pump and the stimulation unit in a coordinated manner with a control unit which is connected to the heart assist pump and the stimulation unit and wherein said controlling further comprises
• inducing synchronized motions of cardiac contraction with the stimulation unit while operating the heart assist pump in a ventricle-supporting manner;
• controlling stimulation therapy to synchronize a ventricle not connected to the heart assist pump with pumping function of the heart assist pump to achieve synchronous ventricular function with the control unit in combination with the at least one stimulation unit or a plurality of stimulation units;
• utilizing a delay between a point in time of an intended delivery of a right-ventricular stimulation pulse and an action of the heart assist pump coupled with a left ventricle of the heart with the control unit, wherein the action of the heart assist pump coupled with a left ventricle of the heart comprises left-ventricular pumping activity, and,
• wherein said delay time comprises two delay times that are programmed independently of one another, and further comprising starting said two delay times independently to determine the point in time of an intended delivery of a right-ventricular stimulation pulse with the control unit.