Abstract: A catheter pump system is disclosed. The catheter pump system can include a shaft assembly and an impeller coupled with a distal portion of the shaft assembly. A motor assembly can impart rotation on the impeller through the shaft assembly, the motor assembly comprising a motor which rotates the shaft assembly. The catheter pump system can include a fluid pathway which conveys fluid proximally during operation of the catheter pump system. A seal can be disposed between the motor assembly and the impeller. The seal can be configured to impede or prevent the fluid from the fluid pathway from entering the motor assembly at least about an outer periphery of the shaft assembly. The seal can comprise an opening through which a portion of the shaft assembly extends.

Abstract: A ventricular assist device (VAD) includes an inlet cannula, a blood flow outlet, a blood pump assembly operable to pump blood from the inlet cannula to the blood flow outlet, and a coupling mechanism operable to secure the blood pump to a ventricular cuff attached to a heart. The coupling mechanism includes a coupling mechanism housing, a spring arm member attached to the coupling mechanism housing, and a cuff lock assembly including cuff lock arms slidably disposed within cuff lock passages defined by the coupling mechanism housing. The coupling mechanism is configured to accommodate repositioning of the cuff lock assembly from the retracted position to the engaged position when the blood pump is in the mounted configuration and block repositioning of the cuff lock assembly from the retracted position to the engaged position when the blood pump is not in the mounted configuration.

Abstract: A blood pump system is implantable in a patient for ventricular support. A pumping chamber has an inlet for receiving blood from a ventricle of the patient. An impeller is received in the pumping chamber. A motor is coupled to the impeller for driving rotation of the impeller. A motor controller is provided for tracking systolic and diastolic phases of a cardiac cycle of the patient and supplying a variable voltage signal to the motor in a variable speed mode to produce a variable impeller speed linked to the cardiac cycle. The impeller speed comprises a ramping up to an elevated speed during the diastolic phase in order to reduce a load on the ventricle at the beginning of the systolic phase.

Abstract: A catheter pump includes an elongate cannula with a formed mesh structure extending cylindrically between opposing ends thereof. The formed mesh structure defines a pattern configured to be stably expandable and collapsible without fracturing in a percutaneous delivery and re-sheathing in the provision of mechanical circulatory support of a patient's heart.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to implantable electrical connector assemblies and methods of fabrication of the implantable electrical connector assemblies. An implantable electrical connector includes a male electrical connector and a female electrical connector. The male electrical connector includes annular electrical contacts mounted to and spaced apart along an elongated support member. The female electrical connector includes female contact assemblies. Each of the female contact assemblies includes a circular coil spring disposed within an annular conductive member. The circular coil spring is retained within the annular conductive member between a first-side non-conductive retention member and the second-side non-conductive retention member.

Abstract: Implantable electrical connectors employ a conductive circular coil spring contact retained with in a non-conductive housing and a conductive lead attached to the conductive circular coil spring contact. An implantable electrical connector assembly includes a male connector and a female connector. The male connector includes an electrical contact mounted to an elongated electrical contact support member. The female electrical connector includes a connector body and a female contact assembly disposed within the connector body. The female contact assembly includes a conductive circular coil spring, a conductive lead, and a non-conductive housing. The conductive lead is connected to the conductive circular coil spring. The conductive circular coil spring is disposed within and retained by the non-conductive housing. The conductive lead extends from within the non-conductive housing to outside of the non-conductive housing.

Abstract: Circulatory assist systems and related methods provide for pumping of blood from a ventricle to an artery. A circulatory assist system includes a ventricular assist device, a motor control circuit, a controller, a sensing circuit, and a blood flow cannula. The ventricular assist device includes a housing, a stator assembly, and a blood flow impeller. The blood flow impeller includes a first disk portion, a second disk portion, and vanes extending between the first disk portion and the second disk portion. Each of the first disk portion and the second disk portion includes embedded magnetic segments for rotation and levitation of the blood flow impeller. The first disk portion has central aperture configured for transit of a blood flow received through the blood flow inlet into the blood flow impeller for impelling radially outwardly between the first disk portion and the second disk portion via the vanes.

Abstract: A blood pump system includes a pump housing and an impeller for rotating in a pump chamber within the housing. The impeller has a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The system includes a stator having drive coils for applying a torque to the impeller and at least one bearing mechanism for suspending the impeller within the pump chamber. The system includes a position control mechanism for moving the impeller in an axial direction within the pump chamber to adjust a size of a first gap and a size of a second gap, thereby controlling a washout rate at each of the first gap and the second gap. The first gap is defined by a distance between the first side and the housing and the second gap is defined by a distance between the second side and the pump housing.

Abstract: A rotary machine is provided which may include a rotor and a stator within a housing. The stator may be for generating a rotating magnetic field for applying a torque to the rotor. A commutator circuit may provide a plurality of phase voltages to the stator, and a controller may adjust the plurality of phase voltages provided by the commutator circuit to modify an attractive force of the stator on the rotor to move the rotor in an axial direction.

Abstract: A circulatory support system includes an implantable blood pump including a housing, a rotor operable to pump blood from an inlet to an outlet, a stator, and at least two of the following: a current sensor, a rotor position sensor, an accelerometer, and a pressure sensor. The controller is connected to the sensors and includes a signal-processing module configured to receive, from each of the sensors, a data stream. The signal-processing module is also configured to filter the data streams received from the plurality of sensors, determine at least one of a pump operating parameter, a cardiac characteristic, and a pump control parameter based on at least two of the filtered data streams, and output the at least one of the pump operating parameter, the cardiac characteristic, and the pump control parameter to at least one of the operator interface module and the pump control module.

Abstract: A mechanical circulatory support system includes an implantable blood pump and a system controller configured to control operation of the implantable blood pump. The system controller includes a system controller rechargeable energy storage device, a system controller input connector, a system controller output connector, and a system controller display. The system controller output connector is configured for operatively coupling the system controller to the implantable blood pump. The system controller is configured to display a system controller charge level indicator on the system controller display indicative of a charge level of the system controller rechargeable energy storage device. The system controller input connector is configured for operatively coupling the system controller with a power source configured to supply electrical power to the system controller for use in recharging the system controller rechargeable energy storage device and powering operation of the implantable blood pump.

Abstract: Described herein is an implantable medical device including a housing, a header coupled to the housing, and a receptacle connector stack disposed in the header. The receptacle connector stack includes a plurality of electrical contacts and a plurality of wiper seals. Each electrical contact of the plurality of electrical contacts is separated by a corresponding wiper seal. A first sealing element is disposed at a proximal end of the receptacle connector stack and a second sealing element is disposed at a distal end of the receptacle connector stack. The sealing elements are mounted on respective seal housings. A third sealing element is disposed adjacent to the first sealing element and further proximal of the connector stack to restrict a bounce back effect caused by one or more of the plurality of wiper seals during insertion of a lead.

Abstract: Systems and method for powering an implanted blood pump are disclosed herein. The system can be a mechanical circulatory support system. The mechanical circulatory support system can include an implantable blood pump. The implantable blood pump includes a DC powered pump control unit that can control the blood pump according to one or several stored instructions. The implantable blood pump includes a rectifier electrically connected to the pump control unit. The implantable rectifier can convert the AC to DC for powering the pump control unit. The system can include an external controller electrically connected to the rectifier. The external controller can provide AC electrical power to the implantable blood pump.

Abstract: Blood pump systems and methods employ transmission of electrical energy and data over a percutaneous cable. A method of transmitting electrical energy and data over a percutaneous cable includes transmitting electrical energy over a first pair of conductors of a percutaneous cable for use in powering an implantable blood pump. Transmission of electrical energy over the first pair of conductors is discontinued to accommodate data transmission over the first pair of conductors. Transmission of the data over the first pair of conductors is discontinued to accommodate recommencement of transmission of electrical energy over the first pair of conductors for use in powering the implantable blood pump.

Abstract: A wireless power transfer system is provided. The system includes an external transmit resonator and an implantable receive resonator. The transmit resonator is configured to transmit wireless power, wherein the external transmit resonator includes one of i) one or more loops of Litz wire and ii) a plurality of stacked plates. The implantable receive resonator is configured to receive the transmitted wireless power from the external transmit resonator, wherein the implantable receive resonator is configured to power a ventricular assist device (VAD) implanted in a subject using the received wireless power. The implantable receive resonator includes the other of i) the one or more loops of Litz wire and ii) the plurality of stacked plates.

Abstract: Blood circulation assist systems include a ventricular assist device (VAD), a remote accelerometer, and a controller that controls operation of the VAD based on output of the remote accelerometer. A blood circulation assist system includes a VAD, a controller, and a remote accelerometer. The VAD includes an impeller. The remote accelerometer is configured to generate a remote accelerometer output indicative of accelerations measured by the remote accelerometer. The implanted controller controls a rotation speed of the impeller based on the remote accelerometer output.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing operation of a heart assist pump device to a patient's cardiac cycle includes obtaining a signal from a motor of a heart assist pump device and filtering the signal to remove noise. The method also includes determining a speed synchronization start point at which time the motor of the heart assist pump device will begin a change in speed of operation based on the filtered signal. The method further includes modulating a speed of the motor of the heart assist pump device to a target speed at the speed synchronization start point, thereby synchronizing the change in speed of operation with a patient's cardiac cycle.

Abstract: Systems and related methods for supplying power to an implantable blood pump are provided. A system includes a base module and a plurality of energy storage devices. A first energy storage device is operatively coupled to the base module. A second energy storage device is operatively coupled to the first modular energy storage device. The energy storage devices are mechanically coupled in series, electrically coupled in parallel, and configured to provide redundant sources of power to drive an implantable blood pump.

Abstract: A method for modeling a wireless power transfer system including stacked plate resonators is provided. The method includes generating, using a computing device, a plurality of different sets of design parameters for a wireless power transfer system including a transmit resonator and a receive resonator, each of the transmit resonator and the receive resonator including a magnetic core having a post, and a plurality of alternating dielectric layers and conductive layers stacked around the post. The method further includes selecting, using the computing device, one set of the plurality of generated sets of design parameters, generating, using the computing device, an initial population of wireless power transfer systems based on the selected set, evaluating, using the computing device, each wireless power transfer system in the initial population, and generating, using the computing device, a subsequent population of wireless power transfer systems based on the evaluating.

Abstract: A blood pump system includes a first implantable housing, an implantable blood pump independent from the first implantable housing, and a percutaneous extension. The first implantable housing includes a rechargeable power storage device. The implantable blood pump supplements the pumping function of a heart. The rechargeable power storage device supplies electrical power to the implantable blood pump. The percutaneous extension is coupled to the rechargeable power storage device and adapted to traverse the skin. The percutaneous extension is configured to releasably connect to an external power supply adapted to provide power for recharging or supplementing the rechargeable power storage device to power the implantable blood pump.