Abstract: The cardiac pump, which is suitable for implantation into a ventricle of a human heart, has a primary blood flow path through a housing, a rotatable pump member disposed within the housing for causing blood to flow along the primary flow path, the pump member being rotatably coupled to the housing about an upstream bearing and a downstream bearing. The pump member includes an impeller shroud defining a secondary flow path in fluid communication with the primary flow path. The downstream bearing comprises a rotational bearing member and a stationary bearing seat for the bearing member, there being a circumferential transition between the bearing seat and the bearing member, the circumferential transition being disposed in the secondary flow path and arranged to be washed by blood passing along the secondary flow path.

Abstract: The pump is of an axial flow rotary type suitable for implantation into the human heart or vascular system. The pump has an elongate tubular casing (1) including an electric motor (4) and defining an inlet (2) for blood, an outlet (3) for blood longitudinally spaced from the inlet and a substantially axial blood flow path (8) from the inlet to the outlet. An elongate rotatable element (7) is arranged to fit within the casing with spacing (15) between an outer surface of the rotatable element and an inner surface of the casing; the rotatable element comprises an electric motor rotor portion (10) arranged to be driven by the electric motor stator and a primary substantially axial blood flow path along the inside of the rotatable element. A rotary impeller (11) is provided axially spaced from the rotor portion for impelling blood along the primary flow path.

Abstract: The apparatus for implantation into a human heart comprises a pump (1) having an electrical motor (12), an inlet (9) for blood to be located in a first chamber of the heart; an outlet (10) for blood to be located in a second chamber of the heart; fixing means (2) for fixing the apparatus to a wall of the heart with the inlet in the first chamber and the outlet in the second chamber, an elongate conduit (7) which extends from the fixing means to the pump, and an electrical conductor (18) for connecting to the motor, the conductor extending along the conduit.

Abstract: The apparatus is a ventricular assist device comprising: a pump with a housing having therein radial a impeller, and a rotor for driving the impeller, both the rotor and the impeller being hydrodynamically suspended within the housing in us, the pump further including a stator for driving the rotor; an inlet cannula section arranged to extend from an internal part of the ventricle to straddle the wall of the ventricle, the stator being within the inlet cannula section to be located in the internal part of the ventricle; and an outlet for blood driven by the impeller such that the pump is a radial pump. Both the outlet and the impeller are arranged to reside outside of the heart.

Abstract: The pump is of an axial flow rotary type suitable for implantation into the human heart or vascular system. The pump has an elongate tubular casing (1) including an electric motor (4) and defining an inlet (2) for blood, an outlet (3) for blood longitudinally spaced from the inlet and a substantially axial blood flow path (8) from the inlet to the outlet. An elongate rotatable element (7) is arranged to fit within the casing with spacing (15) between an outer surface of the rotatable element and an inner surface of the casing; the rotatable element comprises an electric motor rotor portion (10) arranged to be driven by the electric motor stator and a primary substantially axial blood flow path along the inside of the rotatable element. A rotary impeller (11) is provided axially spaced from the rotor portion for impelling blood along the primary flow path.