Mobility-Enhancing Blood Pump System

• US 20110160516A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Thoratec LLC
• Inventors: Dague, Charles, Bourque, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,562,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3334 Measuring or controlling the flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• 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 60/178 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 60/216 including a rotating member acting on the blood, e.g. impeller
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/508 Electronic control means, e.g. for feedback regulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/585 User interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/876 Implantable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/88 Percutaneous cables

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.

Claims

1. A blood pump system, comprising:

a first implantable housing including a rechargeable power storage device;

an implantable blood pump independent from the first implantable housing that supplements the pumping function of a heart, wherein the rechargeable power storage device supplies electrical power to the implantable blood pump; and

a percutaneous extension, coupled to the rechargeable power storage device and adapted to traverse the skin, that 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.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes two rechargeable power storage devices that supply electrical power to the blood pump.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the blood pump is a ventricular assist device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a second implantable housing that encloses the blood pump and that includes pump controller circuitry that controls the operation of the blood pump.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the system includes a rechargeable battery electrically connected to the pump controller circuit for supplying electrical power to the pump controller circuit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first implantable housing further includes an internal system controller that controls the operation of the blood pump.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an external power supply.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the external power supply is a battery or a converted AC source adapted to supply electrical power for the normal operation of the blood pump.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the percutaneous extension includes

a plurality of wires that traverse the skin and carry electrical current to recharge or supply power to the rechargeable power storage unit;

and

an electrical connector coupled to the plurality of wires and adapted to couple to a portion of the external power supply.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the percutaneous extension further includes a fluid-resistant sheath that is coupled to the electrical connector and that surrounds the plurality of wires along substantially the length of the plurality of wires.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a fluid resistant cap adapted to be removably coupled to the electrical connector for protecting the interior of the electrical connector from contact with external fluids when the electrical connector is not coupled to a portion of the external power supply.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising an internal power sensing feature that detects an amount of power remaining in the rechargeable power storage device, the cap or an external end of the percutaneous extension being adapted to emit a light when the power sensing feature determines that the amount of power remaining in the rechargeable power storage device is less than a minimum threshold.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the percutaneous extension includes at most four wires.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at most four wires comprise two redundant sets of two wires, wherein each redundant set of wires carry electrical current to recharge the rechargeable power storage unit.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the percutaneous extension has a cross-sectional area that is less than about 0.1 in².

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first implantable housing has a volume that ranges from about 1 in³ to about20 in³.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable power storage device can supply electrical power for normal operation of the blood pump for a period of time of at least 30 minutes.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable power storage device can supply electrical power for normal operation of the blood pump for a period of time of at least 2 hours.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable power storage device can be recharged from a functionally depleted state to a fully charged state in less than about 1 hour.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the first implantable housing further includes an implanted telemetering device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the system further includes an external monitoring device that includes an external telemetering device that communicates wirelessly with the implanted telemetering device.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein one of the internal system controller and the external monitoring device is adapted to notify the patient that an amount of electrical charge remaining in the rechargeable power storage device is less than a minimum threshold.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the minimum threshold is an amount of electrical charge for normal operation of the blood pump for 30 minutes.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first implantable housing is adapted to vibrate to notify the patient that the amount of electrical charge remaining is less than the minimum threshold.

25. A method of using the system of claim 1 when implanted within a user, the method comprising:

connecting the percutaneous lead to an external power supply to supply power to the blood pump or to charge the rechargeable power storage device;

disconnecting the percutaneous lead from the external power supply for a period of at least 30 minutes, the rechargeable power storage device supplying power to the heart pump for the period of at least 30 minutes; and

reconnecting the percutaneous lead to the external power supply to recharge the power storage device or to supply power to the blood pump.

26. A blood pump system, comprising:

an implantable blood pump that supplements the pumping function of a heart;

an internal system controller that controls the operation of the implantable blood pump;

a rechargeable power storage device that supplies electrical power to the implantable blood pump, wherein the rechargeable power storage device can supply electrical power for the normal operation of the implantable blood pump for a period of time of at least 30 minutes; and

a percutaneous extension coupled to the rechargeable power storage device adapted to traverse the skin and to releasably connect to an external power supply to provide power to supplement or recharge the rechargeable power storage device.

27. The system claim 26, wherein the rechargeable power storage device has a volume that is greater than about 7 in³.

28. A blood pump system, comprising:

a first implantable housing including an internal system controller and a rechargeable power storage device;

a blood pump that supplements the pumping function of a heart, wherein the first implantable housing is coupled to the blood pump via one or more electrical wires, and the rechargeable power storage device supplies electrical power to the blood pump for the normal operation of the blood pump for a period of not less than 30 minutes;

an external device that wirelessly communicates with the internal system controller; and

a percutaneous extension adapted to traverse the skin and to releasably connect to an external power supply to provide power to the rechargeable power storage device, the percutaneous extension comprising;

two redundant sets of two wires, wherein each redundant set of wires is adapted to carry electrical current to recharge the rechargeable power storage unit;

an electrical connector coupled to the plurality of wires and adapted to couple to a portion of the external power supply;

a water-resistant sheath that is coupled to the electrical connector and that surrounds the plurality of wires along substantially the length of the plurality of wires.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the percutaneous extension has a cross-sectional area that is less than about 0.1 in².

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the first implantable housing has a volume that ranges from about 1 in³ to about 20 in³.