Patent ID: 8571658

Claim:
A heart assist system, comprising: (a) a heart assist device comprising an inflatable cuff configured to apply pressure to blood in a blood vessel; (b) a pump configured to generate fluid pressure; (c) a fluid disposed within the inflatable cuff and the pump, the fluid configured to transfer the fluid pressure between the pump and the inflatable cuff; (d) a controller operably coupled to the pump; (e) a phonocardiographic (“PCG ”) lead operably coupled to the controller, the PCG lead comprising a sound sensor configured to detect heart sounds, wherein at least a portion of the sound sensor is positioned in contact with the fluid; and (f) an electrical sensing lead operably coupled to the controller, the electrical sensing lead comprising an electrical sensor configured to detect an R-wave of the heart, wherein the controller is configured to use the heart sounds and the R wave of the heart to control the operation of the heart assist device.