Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6949065.html
Timestamp: 2018-03-17 18:08:34
Document Index: 185783204

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1994', 'arts 2', 'arts 2', 'arts 2', 'arts 2', 'art 23', 'arts 24', 'arts 29', 'arts 23']

Left ventricular assist system - Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V.
United States Patent 6949065
In this implantable system the pumping means, compression means (4), drive unit (41) and part of the cooling means (50) are accommodated in a two-part housing (1) on which tubular ports (10a, 10b; 10′a, 10′b) for connecting Y-shaped adapter elements (3, 3′) are configured.
Sporer, Norbert (Wielenbach, DE)
Wagner, Harald (Seefeld, DE)
Schmid, Thomas (Bernried, DE)
Schiller, Wolfgang (Bonn, DE)
10/126978
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V. (Bonn, DE)
600/16, 623/3
Download PDF 6949065 PDF help
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1. An implantable system for assisting the left heart ventricle, said system comprising: a pumping means including a drive unit; a cooling means for cooling said drive unit; and a power supply unit for said cooling means and said drive unit, wherein: said pumping means comprises two compressible pump chambers constituted by sacs and a single pusher plate arranged between said two pump chambers, said pusher plate being movable back and forth between two end positions by operation of said drive unit in order to compress said two pump chambers in alternation; each of said pump chambers has an inlet side and an outlet side and one of said two pump chambers is emptied while the other one is being filled, and vice versa; and said system further comprises: two inlet side adapter parts and two heart valves, each said heart valve being housed in a respective adapter part and each said inlet side adapter part being connected to the inlet side of a respective pump chamber; a first Y-adapter having two branches each connected to a respective inlet side adapter part; two outlet side adapter parts each connected to the outlet side of a respective pump chamber; a second Y-adapter having two branches each connected to a respective outlet side adapter part; and a flap-shaped sail valve housed in said second Y-adapter at a location where said branches of said second Y-adapter meet.
2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sail valve consists of a thin, flexible material.
FIGS. 2a and 2b are each a diagrammatic view of the pumping principle for two chambers with three valves, and
FIG. 2c is a diagrammatic view on a magnified scale of a sail valve;
Referring now to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a view in perspective of a means for use as a so-called blood pump to be accommodated in a housing 1 comprising two housing halves 10 and 10′. Configured at each of the two housing halves 10 and 10′ are two tubular ports 10a and 10b and 10a′ and 10′b respectively.
Provided between the sacs 5 and 5′ and the Y-shaped adapters 3 and 3′ are adapter parts 2 and 2′ respectively as described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The adapter parts 2 and 2′ are secured in the housing 1 at the ports 10a and 10a′ and 10b and 10′b respectively. From within the housing the sacs 5 and 5′ are secured to the adapter parts 2 and 2′. When the housing halves 10 and 10′ are joined together into a closed housing 1 the Y-shaped adapters 3 and 3′ are mounted from without on the adapter parts 2 and 2′ respectively and located in place thereon.
Referring now to FIG. 2 there is illustrated in a diagrammatic view how compressing the sac 5 results in pressure being built-up therein; at the same time a valve V1 is closed at the inlet. It is this pressure build-up in the sac 5 that causes a sail valve 6 to flap into the position as shown in FIG. 2a. This results in the fluid contained in the sac 5 being expelled as indicated by the arrow P1 in FIG. 2a until the pusher plate 8 has attained the end position A (FIG. 3).
This flapping action of the sail valve 6 closes the outlet of the sac 5′, causing a vacuum to materialize therein, causing valve V2 to open and fluid (blood) to flow into the sac 5′ as indicated by the arrow P2 in FIG. 2a. As soon as the pusher plate 8 has attained the end position A the sac 5 is practically empty whilst the sac 5′ has become full.
When the pusher plate 8 is then moved from the end position A in the direction of the end position B the sail valve 6 flaps back into the position as shown in FIG. 2b, resulting in valve V2 closing and valve V1 opening. The fluid (blood) in sac 5′ is expelled therefrom (see arrow P3 in FIG. 2b) and simultaneously fluid primed into sac 5 (see arrow P4 in FIG. 2b) in thereby filling it. The sacs 5, 5′ may be connected to the pusher plate 8 mechanically, where necessary, since this permits boosting the vacuum and thus the priming action.
Referring now to FIG. 2c there is illustrated a flap-type sail valve 6. Conventional aortic valve prosthetics are/may be used as valves V1 and V2.
Referring now to FIG. 3 there is illustrated a pumping means serving as the fluid or blood pump. The tubular chambers in the form of sacs 5, 5′ are arranged fixedly located opposite each other. The inlets of the sacs 5, 5′ are merged by means of the Y-shaped adapter 3. Upstream of each sac 5, 5′ a valve is provided in the form of conventional aortic valve prosthetics 25, 25′ as detailed with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. At the outlet the two sacs 5, 5′ are merged by means of the Y-shaped adapter 3′. Provided in the adapter 3′ is the sail valve 6 as illustrated in FIG. 2c on a magnified scale (not shown in FIG. 3). The sacs 5, 5′ may differ in wall thickness.
In the Y-shaped adapter 3 at the inlet side an adapter part 23 is fitted and at the end of the branches thereof adapter parts 24 and 24′ respectively are fitted. Mounted in the tubular ports 10a and 10a′ of the housing halves 10 and 10′ are adapter parts 29 and 29′ respectively in which fittings are configured fur mounting the aortic valve prosthetics 25 and 25′.
Referring now to FIG. 7 there is illustrated a Y-shaped adapter 3′ with the integrated sail valve 6 shown in two halves for a better appreciation. Expediently, however, the Y-shaped adapter 3′ is configured in one piece. The sail valve 6 begins at the branching point of the substantially identical halves 3a′ and 3′b of the Y-shaped adapter 3′ and extends up to the outlet portion thereof. The sail valve 6 is made of a very thin, flexible organic or inorganic material. The Y-shaped adapter 3′ with the inserted adapter parts 23 and 22 is pushed into the tubular ports 10b and 10′b of the assembled housing 1 and sealed in place.
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