Ventricular assist device for intraventricular placement

• US 20090203957A1
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heartware,Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Heartware,Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: White, Steve A., LaRose, Jeffrey A., Shambaugh, Charles R. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,852,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/18
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/04 implanted
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/103 rotating
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/125 Heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/174 discharging the blood to the ventricle or arterial system via a cannula internal to the ventricle or arterial system
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/178 drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to the ventricle, e.g. left or right ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/237 the blood flow through the rotating member having mainly axial components, e.g. axial flow pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/419 the force acting on the blood contacting member being permanent magnetic, e.g. from a rotating magnetic coupling between driving and driven magnets
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/422 the force acting on the blood contacting member being electromagnetic, e.g. using canned motor pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/824 Hydrodynamic or fluid film bearings
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/857 Implantable blood tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/863 Apex rings

Abstract

A ventricular assist device includes a pump such as an axial flow pump, an outflow cannula connected to the outlet of the pump, and an anchor element. The anchor element is physically connected to the pump, as by an elongate element. The pump is implanted within the left ventricle with the outflow cannula projecting through the aortic valve but desirably terminating short of the aortic arch. The anchor element is fixed to the wall of the heart near the apex of the heart so that the anchor element holds the pump and outflow cannula in position.

Claims

1. A ventricular assist device for intraventricular placement inside a heart of a mammalian subject comprising:

an anchor element configured to be mounted to the subject'"'"'s heart;

an elongate member having proximal and distal ends; and

a pump comprising a housing, an inlet and an outlet, a rotor within the housing and electric drive coils carried on the housing for magnetically driving the rotor,

wherein the anchor element and the pump are connected to the elongate member remote from one another.

2. The ventricular assist device of claim 1 wherein the anchor element is configured to be mounted to the subject'"'"'s heart adjacent the apex thereof.

3. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the pump has an axis extending between the inlet and the outlet, and the elongate member has an axis offset from the axis of the pump.

4. The ventricular assist device of claim 3, wherein the axis of the elongate member is substantially parallel to the axis of the pump.

5. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the elongate member includes a bore extending in the proximal and distal directions thereof, the device further comprising wiring extending through the bore to the pump.

6. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, further comprising a spherical ball mounted to the rigid elongate member.

7. The ventricular assist device of claim 5, wherein the anchor element includes a spherical socket adapted to engage the spherical ball such that the anchor element is pivotally mounted to the rigid elongate member.

8. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the anchor element is fixed to the elongate member.

9. The ventricular assist device of claim 1 wherein the anchor element is a ring adapted for fixation on the exterior surface of the heart wall.

10. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the elongate member has a hydrodynamic outer surface.

11. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the elongate member is curved.

12. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the elongate member is channel shaped.

13. The ventricular assist device of claim 1 having a plurality of anchor elements and elongate members.

14. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the anchor element is non-circular in cross-section.

15. The ventricular assist device of claim 1 wherein the anchor element is adapted to bear on the interior of surface of the heart wall.

16. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, further comprising a tubular outflow cannula defining a bore, the bore having an inlet at a proximal end thereof connected to the outlet of the pump.

17. The ventricular assist device of claim 16, wherein the outflow cannula includes a tip at the distal end thereof, the tip having a plurality of openings.

18. The ventricular assist device of claim 17, wherein the tip of the outflow cannula projects through an aortic valve but terminates short of an arch of the aorta.

19. The ventricular assist device of claim 16, wherein the outflow cannula is tapered in the distal direction.

20. The ventricular assist device of claim 16, wherein the outflow cannula has a generally triangular cross-section at a region proximal to the tip.

21. The ventricular assist device of claim 16, wherein the outflow cannula includes a plurality of side holes extending between the bore of the cannula and an exterior surface of the cannula proximal to the tip of the cannula.

22. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the anchor element is a ring adapted for mounting adjacent the apex of the patient'"'"'s heart by sewing ring to tissue along a wall of the patient'"'"'s heart.

23. The ventricular assist device of claim 1, wherein the position of the anchor element in the lengthwise direction of the elongate member is adjustable.

24. A ventricular assist device for intraventricular placement inside a heart of a mammalian subject comprising:

a ring configured to be mounted adjacent an apex of the patient'"'"'s heart;

a rigid elongate member having a proximal and distal end; and

a pump comprising;

a housing, an outflow cannula having a tip, the tip having a distal end projecting through an aortic valve of the subject'"'"'s heart,

wherein the ring and the pump are connected to the rigid elongate member remote from one another so that the rigid elongate member maintains the pump in position relative to the ring.

25. The ventricular assist device of claim 24, wherein the tip terminates short of an arch of the aorta of the subject'"'"'s heart.

26. A method of installing a ventricular assist device in a mammalian subject comprising:

(a) mounting a pump to the subject so that an inlet of the pump communicates with the left ventricle of the heart; and

(b) positioning an outflow cannula of the pump so that the outflow cannula extends from within the left ventricle through the aortic valve but terminates short of the arch of the aorta.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein the step of mounting a pump to the subject includes mounting the pump within the left ventricle of the heart.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27 further including engaging an anchor element with the wall of the heart near the apex of the heart so that the anchor element maintains the pump and outflow cannula in position within the heart.

29. A method of placing a ventricular assist device at a location inside a heart of a mammalian subject comprising:

providing an anchor element and a pump connected to a rigid elongate member remote from one another ;

advancing the pump through a wall in an apex of the subject'"'"'s heart and into an intraventricular region of the subject'"'"'s heart ; and

mounting the anchor element to an apex of the subject'"'"'s heart.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the pump comprises a housing, an inlet and an outlet, a rotor within the housing and electric drive coils carried on the housing for magnetically driving the rotor.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the pump further comprises a tubular outflow cannula defining a bore, the bore having an inlet at a proximal end thereof connected to the outlet of the pump, wherein the outflow cannula includes a tip at the distal end thereof, the tip having a plurality of openings, wherein the tip of the outflow cannula projects through an aortic valve.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein an inlet of the pump is positioned so that the inlet is remote from the aortic valve and faces generally in a direction toward the apex of the heart.