Abstract: The present invention relates to a fluid pump that comprises a housing having an inlet opening for receiving the fluid, an outlet opening for discharging the fluid and enclosing an impeller rotating inside the housing to pump the fluid from the inlet opening to the outlet opening and a motor assembly to drive the impeller. The housing is shaped to establish a single turn volute of 360° turn angle providing a first conveying channel located peripherally around the impeller from a fluid entry point at 0° turn angle to a fluid exit point at 360° turn angle of the single turn volute being connected to the outlet opening. The first conveying channel has a first cross section area in radial direction perpendicular to the rotational plane of the impeller, where a size of the first cross section area increases as a monotonic increasing function of the turn angle between entry point and exit point.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of controlling the speed of a ventricular assist device, in particular the rotational speed of a rotary blood pump, wherein at least temporarily the speed of the device is modulated around a mean speed and a response of the native heart to this modulation is measured to determine the ventricular function/contractile state of the heart, in particular to determine whether the aortic valve opens and closes at the instant mean speed, and the mean speed is set, in particular a new mean speed is set in dependence of the measured response. The invention furthermore relates to a device performing the method.

Abstract: The invention relates to an impeller (1) of a centrifugal pump apparatus, in particular of a blood pump apparatus, comprising a discoidal body (1) rotatable around an axis (2) of rotation, the body (1) comprising an upper surface (3), a lower surface (4), a central channel (5) extending in the direction of the axis (2) of rotation between the upper and lower surface (3, 4) for guiding fluid, in particular blood through the body (1) in axial direction when the body (1) is rotated in a pump chamber of a pump and several blades (6) supported by the upper surface (3) for pumping fluid, in particular blood, when the body (1) is rotated in a pump chamber of a pump, several spiral grooves (7) in the lower surface (4), each groove (7) having a bottom (7a) and two sidewalls (7b, 7c) and being open in an axial direction, merging into a circumferential surface (8) of the body (1) and extending from this circumferential surface (8) to the central channel (5) at least for providing a pumping action of fluid, in particular

Abstract: A cardiac function variation evaluation apparatus includes: a continuous flow type auxiliary artificial heart 20 connected to a ventricle (10A); a pressure sensor 30 for detecting ventricle (10A) internal pressure; and means (a personal computer 40) for evaluating contractile variation of the ventricle, to which the auxiliary artificial heart 20 is connected, based on internal area APMp of a closed-loop of a relationship between the ventricle internal pressure detected by the pressure sensor 30 and a consumption power of the auxiliary artificial heart 20. Thus, the contractile variation of the ventricle, to which an auxiliary artificial heart is connected, can be continuously evaluated not by use of an ultrasonic echo apparatus or a conductance catheter but by use of a non-invasive method.