Implantable heart assist system and method of applying same

• US 6,390,969 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: ORQIS Medical Corporation
• Inventors: Gaddis, Mary Lynn, Aldea, Gabriel, Gharib, Morteza, Bolling, Steven F., Viole, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, CARL HERNANDZ
• Application Number:
  US09/552,979
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 600/16, 600/17
• US Class Current: 600/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3621 Extra-corporeal blood circuits single-needle circuits A61M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3655 Arterio-venous shunts or fistulae
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/369 Temperature treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/088 on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0026 Multi-lumen catheters with stationary elements catheter assemblies comprising a catheter in combination with a guide tube, sheath or sleeve A61M2025/0681; catheters comprising telescoping coaxial elements A61M2025/0175
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/007 Side holes, e.g. their profiles or arrangements; Provisions to keep side holes unblocked
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/117 for assisting the heart, e.g. transcutaneous or external ventricular assist devices
• 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 60/152 branching on and drawing blood from a blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/165 implantable in, on, or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/232 Centrifugal pumps
• 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 60/274 the inlet and outlet being the same, e.g. para-aortic counter-pulsation blood pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/408 the force acting on the blood contacting member being mechanical, e.g. transmitted by a shaft or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/515 Regulation using real-time patient data
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/538 Regulation using real-time blood pump operational parameter data, e.g. motor current
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/88 Percutaneous cables

Abstract

An extracardiac pumping for supplementing the circulation of blood, including the cardiac output, in a patient without any component thereof being connected to the patient'"'"'s heart, and method of using same. One embodiment of the extracardiac system comprises an implantable or portable subcardiac pump, whereby the pump draws blood through an inflow conduit fluidly coupled to a non-primary artery via a cannula and discharges blood through an outflow conduit fluidly coupled to a second non-primary artery via a cannula, wherein at least one of the cannulas projects well into the patient'"'"'s vascular system. The pump may be operated continuously or in a pulsatile fashion, synchronous with the patient'"'"'s heart, thereby potentially reducing the afterload of the heart.

Claims

1. An extracardiac pumping system for supplementing blood circulation in a patient without any component thereof being connected to the patient'"'"'s heart, the extracardiac system comprising:

a pump configured to pump blood through the patient at subcardiac flow rates, said pump having an average flow rate that, during normal operation thereof, is substantially below that of the patient'"'"'s heart when healthy;

an inflow conduit having an inner diameter that is not greater than 25 millimeters fluidly coupled to the pump to direct blood to the pump from a first blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel, the inflow conduit having a first end configured to couple to the first blood vessel; and

an outflow conduit having an inner diameter that is not greater than 25 millimeters fluidly coupled to the pump to direct blood from the pump to a second blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel, the outflow conduit having a first end configured to couple to the second blood vessel,

wherein at least the first end of one conduit includes a cannula.

2. The extracardiac pumping system of claim 1 wherein the cannula resides at least in part within a primary vessel.

3. A method for supplementing the circulation of blood through a patient without connecting any component to the patient'"'"'s heart, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting a distal end of an inflow conduit of a pump to a first blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel with a conduit having an inner diameter no greater than about 25 millimeters and a cannula that penetrates the first blood vessel using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood to the pump from the first blood vessel, said pump configured to pump blood at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac;

connecting a distal end of an outflow conduit of the pump to a second blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel with a conduit having an inner diameter no greater than about 25 millimeters using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood away from the pump to the second blood vessel; and

operating said pump to perfuse blood through the patient'"'"'s circulatory system at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the cannula projects into the blood vessel so as to draw blood upstream from where the cannula penetrates said blood vessel.

5. A method for supplementing the circulation of blood through a patient without connecting any component to the patient'"'"'s heart, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting a distal end of an inflow conduit of a pump to a first blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel with a conduit having an inner diameter no greater than about 25 millimeters using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood to the pump from the first blood vessel, said pump configured to pump blood at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac;

connecting a distal end of an outflow conduit of the pump to a second blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel with a conduit having an inner diameter no greater than about 25 millimeters and a cannula that penetrates the second blood vessel using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood away from the pump to the second blood vessel; and

operating said pump to perfuse blood through the patient'"'"'s circulatory system at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the cannula projects into the blood vessel so as to direct blood downstream of where the cannula penetrates said blood vessel.