Abstract: The invention relates to a rotary blood pump including a housing having an internal chamber, a blood inlet port and a blood outlet port, a rotor including a plurality of blades and being adapted to rotate within the chamber. The pump includes a bearing system for controlling the position of the rotor wherein the bearing system includes one or more permanent magnets embedded in the rotor and one or more electromagnetic field inducing means embedded in the housing. The magnets embedded in the rotor are influenced by the electromagnetic field inducing means embedded in the housing for controlling the position of the rotor relative to the internal chamber of the housing and for driving rotation of the impeller within the chamber of the housing.

Abstract: The present invention relates to provides a heart assist device comprising one or more blood pumps for connection to a heart, a control module for controlling operation of the one or more pumps, a power module for powering the operation of the control module and the one or more pumps, and a lead for supplying power between the control module and the one or more pumps. The heart assist device includes a control module adapted for controlling operation of one blood pump, in a left ventricular assistance device configuration in or a right ventricular assistance device configuration, or for controlling two blood pumps in a bi-ventricular assistance device configuration.