Patent ID: 6511413
Filing Date: 2003-01-28
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
A ventricular assist method that comprises the steps of:(a) inserting into at least one failing ventricular cavity of a failing heart through a wall thereof a respective cannula connected to a blood displacement chamber having a blood displacement actuator; (b) in cadence with normal functioning of said failing heart, effecting blood inflow into the ventricle cavity from the displacement chamber, with each heart beat and commencing only after opening of an outlet valve of the respective ventricular cavity of the failing heart or only after detecting a shortening of a monitored region of a wall of the respective ventricular cavity of the failing heart and continuing during an ejection phase of the respective ventricular cavity, thereby augmenting ejection volume from the respective ventricular cavity by up to a maximum volume generated by the blood displacement actuator, per systolic phase; (c) controlling a time course of blood inward displacement through the said cannula in step (b) thus reducing a shortening and thereby increasing a ventricle pressure in said ventricular cavity, but at the same time preventing stretching of a respective monitored ventricular wall region of the failing heart by comparison with ventricular wall shortening without an inflow from the chamber; and (d) retracting blood from said failing ventricular cavity, through the cannula immediately upon closing of a respective outlet valve of the failing ventricular cavity.