Patent ID: 8721558

Claim:
An implantable cardiovascular assist device providing in vivo determination of the blood flow rate in a bloodstream of a patient, the device including: a. an elongated electrode line including one or more stimulation electrodes for delivering stimulation pulses to a heart, b. multiple sets of microelectrodes configured for placement in the bloodstream, (1) the sets of microelectrodes being positioned spaced apart on the surface of the electrode line separate and spaced from the one or more stimulation electrodes, (2) each set of microelectrodes including at least one excitation electrode and at least one measuring electrode, each excitation electrode being spaced from one or more of the measuring electrodes by an elongated gap which is narrower than the electrode lengths of the spaced excitation and measuring electrodes, with the gap and the electrode lengths being measured along an axis bisecting the electrodes, c. an electrical power source connected to the excitation electrodes, the power source being configured to provide excitation energy, d. a signal detector wherein: (1) each set of microelectrodes is independently connected to the signal detector, whereby each set delivers independently obtained measured signals to the signal detector, and (2) in the presence of the excitation energy, the signal detector detects an electrical measured signal at the measuring electrodes resulting from the blood flow, and e. a signal evaluation device in communication with the signal detector, the signal evaluation device being configured to determine the blood flow rate on the basis of the measured signal.