Abstract: A control device (100) for controlling the rotational speed (nVAD(t)) of a non-pulsatile ventricular assist device, VAD, (50) uses an event-based within-a-beat control strategy, wherein the control device is configured to alter the rotational speed of the VAD within the cardiac cycle of the assisted heart and to synchronize the alteration of the rotational speed with the heartbeat by at least one sequence of trigger signals (?(t)) that is related to at least one predetermined characteristic event in the cardiac cycle. Further, a VAD (50) for assistance of a heart comprises the control device (100) for controlling the VAD, wherein the VAD is preferably a non-pulsatile rotational, for example catheter-based, blood pump.

Abstract: A method of operating a counterpulsation device (CPD) in a human or animal subject is disclosed, the method including: receiving a heart beat signal indicative of the heart beat of the subject; providing counterpulsation therapy by controlling the pressure supplied to a CPD drive line in pneumatic communication with the CPD to cause the CPD to alternately fill with blood and eject blood with a timing that is determined at least in part based on the heart beat signal; while providing counterpulsation therapy, receiving a CPD drive line pressure signal indicative of the pressure in the CPD drive line; and adjusting the pressure supplied to the drive line based at least in part on the drive line pressure signal.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a corrosion-resistant permanent magnet, to a method for producing a corrosion-resistant permanent magnet, and to an intravascular blood pump comprising the magnet. The magnet is corrosion resistant due to a composite coating comprising a first layer structure and optionally a second layer structure on the first layer structure, each layer structure comprising an inorganic layer, a linker layer on the inorganic layer, and an organic layer formed from poly(2-chloro-p-xylylene) on the linker layer. The inorganic layers comprise aluminum and/or aluminum oxide.

Abstract: A crimp tool facilitates crimping a resiliently radially compressible human-implantable catheter pump, and transferring the crimped pump into a tubular transfer sheath, by pulling the heart pump through an elongated tube that defines a tapered longitudinal bore. The bore has an inside dimension that tapers gradually along the length of the bore. A large end of the bore is sufficient to accept an uncrimped heart pump. A small end of the bore has a dimension similar to an inside dimension of the transfer sheath. A proximal end of the tube has a hub. A proximal end of a bore through the hub is configured to receive a distal end portion of the transfer sheath coaxially with the tube bore. Optionally, a latch is configured to releasably restrain the distal end portion of the transfer sheath within the hub.

Abstract: An intravascular blood pump for percutaneous insertion comprises a catheter (10) and a pumping device (1) attached to the catheter (10). The catheter (10) extends along a longitudinal axis and has a distal end (11) and a proximal end (12) opposite the distal end (11). The catheter (10) comprises an elongate stiffening structure (15) extending continuously longitudinally along the length of the catheter (10) between the proximal end (11) and the distal end (12) of the catheter (10). The stiffening structure (15) may comprise a shape-memory material, such as Nitinol. It may be in the form of a wire that extends loosely through the lumen of the catheter and helps to avoid or significantly reduce kinks in the catheter.

Abstract: The invention concerns a control device for controlling a blood flow of an intravascular blood pump for percutaneous insertion into a patient's blood vessel, the blood pump comprising a pump unit with a drive unit for driving the pump unit and configured to convey blood from a blood flow inlet towards a blood flow outlet, wherein the control device is configured to operate the blood pump in a selectable zero-flow control mode, wherein a blood flow command signal is selected, and the control device comprises a first controller and a second controller, wherein the first controller is configured to control the blood flow by adjusting a speed command signal for the drive unit, and the second controller is configured to control a drive speed of the drive unit.

Abstract: An intravascular blood pump (1) comprises a ring seal (10) that is configured to assume a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration and configured to contact and seal against an inner wall of the patient's blood vessel when inserted therein in the expanded configuration. A support member (12; 13) is disposed inside the ring seal (10) in order to support the ring seal (10) from the inside, wherein the support member (12; 13) is configured to collapse at least partially when a predetermined pressure difference between a proximal area and a distal area of the blood vessel acting on the ring seal (10) is exceeded.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed including: an intracardiac pump device having a path for a guidewire extending through the pump device from a first opening to a second opening; and a lumen which extends from a first end located outside of the pump device, into the pump device through the first opening in the pump device, along the path for the guidewire, out of the pump device through the second opening, and to a second end located outside of the pump device. The lumen is configured to receive the guidewire such that when the guidewire passes through the lumen from the first end to the second end, the guidewire is positioned along the path.

Abstract: The invention relates to an intercardiac pump device comprising a pump (11) whose distal end (13) is connected to a cannula (15) which is provided with a suction head (16) for sucking blood. Said strainer is provided with a non-sucking extension (20) for stabilising the position of said pump device in the heart and mechanically prolonging the cannula (15) without deteriorating hydraulic conditions. Said extension is also used in the form of a spacer in order to avoid that the suction head (16) adheres to a cardiac wall.

Abstract: A blood pump comprises a pump casing having a blood flow inlet and a blood flow outlet, and an impeller arranged in said pump casing and rotatably supported in the pump casing by a bearing so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation. The impeller has blades for conveying blood from the blood flow inlet to the blood flow outlet. The bearing comprises at least one stationary bearing portion coupled to the pump casing and having a stationary bearing surface that faces radially outwards. The bearing further comprises a rotating bearing surface interacting with the stationary bearing surface to form the bearing, wherein the rotating bearing surface faces radially inwards and is formed on an exposed radially inner edge of the blades. The blades are designed to draw blood deposit on the stationary bearing surface in a radially outward direction.

Abstract: An intravascular blood pump having a rotatable shaft carrying an impeller and a housing with an opening through which the shaft extends with the impeller positioned outside the housing. The shaft and the housing have surfaces forming a circumferential gap which converges towards the impeller-side end of the gap and which has a minimum gap width of preferably no more than 5 ?m, more preferably no more than 2 ?m.

Abstract: Aspects of the present technology relate to compressible and expandable pumps. In one aspect, a pump is provided including a pump housing that is expandable and compressible and a rotor that is expandable and compressible and disposed in the pump housing. The rotor includes at least one rotor blade, a hub, and an axis of rotation. At least a portion of the at least one rotor blade extends from the hub along a first axis that is offset a predetermined distance from a radial axis of the rotor that traverses the axis of rotation. The pump further includes a drive shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the hub of the rotor is mounted to the distal end of the drive shaft and the drive shaft is rotated to rotate the rotor.

Abstract: A control device (100) for controlling the rotational speed (nVAD(t)) of a non-pulsatile ventricular assist device, VAD, (50) uses an event-based within-a-beat control strategy, wherein the control device is configured to alter the rotational speed of the VAD within the cardiac cycle of the assisted heart and to synchronize the alteration of the rotational speed with the heartbeat by at least one sequence of trigger signals (?(t)) that is related to at least one predetermined characteristic event in the cardiac cycle. Further, a VAD (50) for assistance of a heart comprises the control device (100) for controlling the VAD, wherein the VAD is preferably a non-pulsatile rotational, for example catheter-based, blood pump.

Abstract: An intravascular blood pump for percutaneous insertion comprises a catheter (10) and a pumping device (1) attached to the catheter (10). The catheter (10) extends along a longitudinal axis and has a distal end (11) and a proximal end (12) opposite the distal end (11). The catheter (10) comprises an elongate stiffening structure (15) extending continuously longitudinally along the length of the catheter (10) between the proximal end (11) and the distal end (12) of the catheter (10). The stiffening structure (15) may comprise a shape-memory material, such as Nitinol. It may be in the form of a wire that extends loosely through the lumen of the catheter and helps to avoid or significantly reduce kinks in the catheter.

Abstract: A control device for a ventricular assist device (VAD) with settable speed levels. The control device includes an input configured to receive at least one measuring signal related to a physiological condition of the circulatory system of a patient receiving heart assistance by the VAD, where the control device is configured to derive an actual value of at least one characteristic parameter of the heart from one or more of the at least one measuring signal and to provide a refined actual value of the at least one characteristic parameter in which effects of physiologically caused fluctuations are eliminated or reduced. The control device further includes an output configured to output an updated setting value for the speed level, where the control device is configured to produce the updated setting value based on the refined actual value and a predeterminable set-point value.

Abstract: A crimp tool facilitates crimping a resiliently radially compressible human-implantable catheter pump, and transferring the crimped pump into a tubular transfer sheath, by pulling the heart pump through an elongated tube that defines a tapered longitudinal bore. The bore has an inside dimension that tapers gradually along the length of the bore. A large end of the bore is sufficient to accept an uncrimped heart pump. A small end of the bore has a dimension similar to an inside dimension of the transfer sheath. A proximal end of the tube has a hub. A proximal end of a bore through the hub is configured to receive a distal end portion of the transfer sheath coaxially with the tube bore. Optionally, a latch is configured to releasably restrain the distal end portion of the transfer sheath within the hub.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides medical devices, systems and methods and in particular to devices and methods useful for anchoring graft materials to bodily structures.

Abstract: The invention relates to a blood pump. The blood pump comprises a flexible drive shaft guided in a catheter, a conveying element connected to the drive shaft in a distal region of the drive shaft, and a motor, wherein the motor has a stator and a rotor mounted such that it can move in the stator. The stator comprises a winding and the rotor comprises a rotor magnet. In addition, the drive shaft is connected to the rotor at a proximal end of the drive shaft. The stator and the rotor are nondetachably connected to one another, and form a gap with a ring-shaped cross-section, which is delimited by the rotor and the stator.

Abstract: The invention concerns a control device for controlling a blood flow of an intravascular blood pump for percutaneous insertion into a patient's blood vessel, the blood pump comprising a pump unit with a drive unit for driving the pump unit and configured to convey blood from a blood flow inlet towards a blood flow outlet, wherein the control device is configured to operate the blood pump in a selectable zero-flow control mode, wherein a blood flow command signal is selected, and the control device comprises a first controller and a second controller, wherein the first controller is configured to control the blood flow by adjusting a speed command signal for the drive unit, and the second controller is configured to control a drive speed of the drive unit.

Abstract: Blood pump for percutaneous insertion into a heart's ventricle comprising an electrical motor for driving the blood pump, the electrical motor comprising at least tree motor winding units, wherein each motor winding unit is individually connectable to a power supply via two separate phase supply lines connected to the respective motor winding unit terminals. Motor controller for driving and controlling the electrical motor of the blood pump, wherein the motor controller comprises corresponding phase supply line driving units for each motor winding units of the electrical motor of the blood pump which phase supply line driving units are connected via the corresponding two-phase supply lines with the corresponding motor winding unit. Blood pump system comprising the blood pump and the motor controller.