Axial flow pump with multi-grooved rotor

A blood pump comprising:

• a housing defining a pump chamber lumen;
• a rotor within said lumen, the rotor rotatable on a rotation axis concentric with the lumen and having:
• an outer periphery;
• a blood upstream end;
• a blood downstream end opposite the blood upstream end;
• a plurality of magnetic drive poles by which the rotor is configured to rotate to direct blood flow axially within the lumen;
• at least one of a magnetic bearing and a hydrodynamic bearing surface configured to enable the rotor to rotate in a freely suspended configuration within the lumen;
• a tapered axial extension at the blood downstream end, the tapered axial extension configured to enhance downstream blood flow characteristics in an axial direction when the rotor is rotating;
• and
• a plurality of grooves disposed in the axial direction, the plurality of grooves defining a plurality of peripheral land surfaces and at least one flow channel within the respective plurality of grooves, the plurality of peripheral land surfaces being discrete and radially facing and including an interior base width and a radially facing surface width, the interior base width being narrower than the radially facing surface width, and including the at least one of the magnetic bearing and the hydrodynamic bearing surface coupled thereto, and the at least one flow channel extending from a location proximate the blood upstream end to a location proximate the blood downstream end and including:
• a curved shape;
• a substantially axially extending outlet channel proximate the blood downstream end configured to drive blood in an axial direction as the rotor is rotated;
• and
• a width being at least one of substantially equal to and less than a collective total width of the plurality of peripheral land surfaces at the outer periphery of the rotor;
• and
• a stator positioned exterior to the lumen, the stator configured to be energized and magnetically coupled with the plurality of magnetic drive poles of the rotor to cause the rotor to rotate in the lumen.