Internal cardiac assist apparatus

• US 5,453,076 A
• Filed: 11/18/1993
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yasuhiko Shimizu, Yoshiharu Kiyota
• Original Assignee: Yasuhiko Shimizu, Yoshiharu Kiyota
• Inventors: Shimizu, Yasuhiko, Kiyota, Yoshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Howell, Kyle L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Application Number:
  US08/142,341
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 600/16-18, 623/3, 604/96-99
• US Class Current: 600/18
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/33 Controlling, regulating or measuring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3303 Using a biosensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/191 mechanically acting upon the outside of the patient's native heart, e.g. compressive structures placed around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/274 the inlet and outlet being the same, e.g. para-aortic counter-pulsation blood pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/295 Balloon pumps for circulatory assistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/497 for balloon pumps for circulatory assistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/569 synchronous with the native heart beat
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/843 Balloon aspects, e.g. shapes or materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/857 Implantable blood tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/861 Connections or anchorings for connecting or anchoring pumps or pumping devices to parts of the patient's body

Abstract

An internal cardiac assist apparatus includes a balloon 1 having a variable internal volume, and a tube 2 that feeds and discharges a gas within said balloon. One end of the tube 2 is sealed. The balloon is secured to the tube so that the balloon contains the tube for a prescribed length of the tube near the one end of said tube which is sealed. At least one hole 23 for feeding and discharge of the gas is provided in the lengthwise direction in a wall 22 of the portion of the tube that is contained in the balloon. The internal cardiac assist apparatus imposes less of a burden on serious coronary insufficiency patients (by not requiring thoracotomy or incision of the pericardium, and therefore having little effect on breathing and causing little pain), does not require the provision of a complicated gas feeding apparatus, and reliably assists cardiac contraction over a long period of time.

Claims

1. An internal cardiac assist apparatus comprising:

a balloon having a variable internal volume; and

a tube coupled to said balloon for feeding and discharging a gas within said balloon, one end of said tube being sealed;

said balloon being connected to said tube so that said balloon contains said tube in said balloon for a prescribed length of said tube near said one sealed end of said tube;

at least one hole in said tube which extends in a lengthwise direction in a wall of the portion of said tube contained in said balloon, said at least one hole being arranged to feed and discharge gas therethrough;

said balloon having a lateral cross-section which, during inflation thereof, is in the shape of a tongue having a base portion and ends on opposite sides of said base portion, at least said ends on both opposite sides of said base portion of the tongue being secured to said tube;

said tube having a cross-sectional shape such that at least a region that makes contact with an incision in the skin of a patient when the internal cardiac assist apparatus is inserted into the body of the patient is in the shape of an oval;

and wherein;

said tube comprises a concentric duplex tube, which includes feeding and discharge portions, respectively; and

at least one each of said at least one hole for gas feeding and discharge of gas are respectively provided in the lengthwise direction of said tube so as to connect each tube of said concentric duplex tube.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tube has a further hole therein that passes radially through said tube in the sealed end of said tube.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device that detects a heart beat; and

a control device that performs the feeding and discharge of said gas via said tube, in synchronism with the detected heart beat.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said device that detects a heart beat includes:

a first electrode and a second electrode;

said first electrode being attached at a region on an opposite side of a direction of balloon inflation or the end of said tube; and

said second electrode being a ring-shaped electrode slidably arranged on an outer surface of said tube.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said ring-shaped electrode is at least partially made of silver.

3. An internal cardiac assist apparatus comprising:

a balloon having a variable internal volume; and

a tube coupled to said balloon for feeding and discharging a gas within said balloon, one end of said tube being sealed;

said balloon being connected to said tube so that said balloon contains said tube in said balloon for a prescribed length of said tube near said one sealed end of said tube;

at least one hole in said tube which extends in a lengthwise direction in a wall of the portion of said tube contained in said balloon, said at least one hole being arranged to feed and discharge gas therethrough;

said balloon having a lateral cross-section which, during inflation thereof, is in the shape of a tongue having a base portion and ends on opposite sides of said base portion, at least said ends on both opposite sides of said base portion of the tongue being secured to said tube;

said tube having a cross-sectional shape such that at least a region that makes contact with an incision in the skin of a patient when the internal cardiac assist apparatus is inserted into the body of the patient is in the shape of an oval;

and wherein;

said tube comprises a single tube having an internal septum forming inner chambers in said single tube, said inner chambers formed by said septum being used for gas feeding and gas discharge, respectively; and

at least one each of said at least one hole for gas feeding and discharge of gas are respectively provided in the lengthwise direction of said tube so as to connect said inner chambers.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said tube has a further hole therein that passes radially through said tube in the sealed end of said tube.

5. An internal cardiac assist apparatus comprising:

a balloon having a variable internal volume; and

a tube member including;

a first tube section comprising first and second proximal and parallel straight tube portions for feeding or discharge of gas into said balloon, said first straight tube portion being inside of said second straight tube portion; and

a curved tube portion having at least one end which is connected to ends of said first and second straight tube portions of said first tube section;

wherein said balloon is secured to said tube so that said curved tube portion of said tube is contained within said balloon; and

wherein at least one each of holes for feeding or discharge of said gas are opened in a wall of said curved tube portion of said tube.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said balloon, during inflation thereof, has a lateral surface in the shape of a tongue.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said balloon, during inflation thereof, has a lateral surface which is nearly in the shape of a rectangle, said balloon having upper and lower surfaces which are circular in shape, and said balloon having at least one surface between said upper and lower surfaces that has a surface area smaller than a surface area of said upper and lower surfaces.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said tube has a cross-sectional shape such that at least a region that makes contact with an incision in the skin of a patient when the internal cardiac assist apparatus is inserted into the body of the patient is in the shape of an oval.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a tab provided on a wall portion of said curved tube portion of said tube, and wherein a through hole is provided in said tab.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said tube has a cross-sectional shape such that at least a region that makes contact with an incision in the skin of a patient when the internal cardiac assist apparatus is inserted into the body of the patient is in the shape of an oval.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a tab provided on a wall portion of said curved tube portion of said tube, and wherein a through hole is provided in said tab.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a device that detects a heart beat; and

a control device that performs the feeding and discharge of said gas via said tube, in synchronism with the detected heart beat.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said device that detects a heart beat includes:

a first electrode and a second electrode;

said first electrode being attached at a region on an opposite side of a direction of balloon inflation or the end of said tube; and

said second electrode being a ring-shaped electrode slidably arranged on an outer surface of said tube.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said ring-shaped electrode is at least partially made of silver.

12. An internal cardiac assist apparatus comprising:

a balloon having a variable internal volume; and

a tube for feeding and discharging gas into said balloon, said tube having an end and an internal space;

said balloon having a base portion which is engaged with an inner wall on the end of said tube; and

a portion of said balloon being contained in the internal space of said tube during deflation of said balloon, and wherein said balloon bursts outside of said tube during inflation of said balloon.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said tube has a cross-sectional shape such that at least a region that makes contact with an incision in the skin of a patient when the internal cardiac assist apparatus is inserted into the body of the patient is in the shape of an oval.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a device that detects a heart beat; and

a control device that performs the feeding and discharge of said gas via said tube, in synchronism with the detected heart beat.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said device that detects a heart beat includes:

a first electrode and a second electrode;

said first electrode being attached at a region on an opposite side of a direction of balloon inflation or the end of said tube; and

said second electrode being a ring-shaped electrode slidably arranged on an outer surface of said tube.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said ring-shaped electrode is at least partially made of silver.

23. An internal cardiac assist apparatus comprising:

a balloon having a variable internal volume; and

a tube coupled to said balloon for feeding and discharging a gas within said balloon, one end of said tube being sealed;

said balloon being connected to said tube so that said balloon contains said tube in said balloon for a prescribed length of said tube near said one sealed end of said tube;

at least one hole in said tube which extends in a lengthwise direction in a wall of the portion of said tube contained in said balloon, said at least one hole being arranged to feed and discharge gas therethrough;

said balloon having;

a lateral surface which, during inflation thereof, is nearly in the shape of a rectangle;

upper and lower surfaces which are in the shape of an oval; and

at least one surface between said upper and lower surfaces that has a surface area smaller than a surface area of said upper and lower surfaces;

said tube having a cross-sectional shape such that at least a region that makes contact with an incision in the skin of a patient when the internal cardiac assist apparatus is inserted into the body of the patient is in the shape of an oval;

and wherein;

said tube comprises a concentric duplex tube, which includes feeding and discharge portions, respectively; and

at least one each of said at least one hole for gas feeding and discharge of gas are respectively provided in the lengthwise direction of said tube so as to connect each tube of said concentric duplex tube.

24. An internal cardiac assist apparatus comprising:

a balloon having a variable internal volume; and

a tube coupled to said balloon for feeding and discharging a gas within said balloon, one end of said tube being sealed;

said balloon being connected to said tube so that said balloon contains said tube in said balloon for a prescribed length of said tube near said one sealed end of said tube;

at least one hole in said tube which extends in a lengthwise direction in a wall of the portion of said tube contained in said balloon, said at least one hole being arranged to feed and discharge gas therethrough;

said balloon having;

a lateral surface which, during inflation of said balloon, is in the shape of a rectangle;

upper and lower surfaces which are in the shape of an oval; and

at least one surface between said upper and lower surfaces that has a surface area smaller than a surface area of said upper and lower surfaces;

said tube having a cross-sectional shape such that at least a region that makes contact with an incision in the skin of a patient when the internal cardiac assist apparatus is inserted into the body of the patient is in the shape of an oval;

and wherein;

said tube comprises a single tube having an internal septum forming inner chambers in said single tube, said inner chambers formed by said septum being used for gas feeding and gas discharge, respectively; and

at least one each of said at least one hole for gas feeding and discharge of gas are respectively provided in the lengthwise direction of said tube so as to connect said inner chambers.