Active left-right flow control in a two chamber cardiac prosthesis
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a biventricular cardiac prosthesis having left and right pumping sections to maintain a patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure within physiologic bounds, comprising the steps of:
- measuring the patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure;
determining whether the patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure is outside of a tolerance around a desired left atrial pressure;
adjusting the flow of the right pumping section to bring the patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure within the tolerance wherein when the left atrial pressure is higher than the tolerance, right side flow is decreased, and when the left atrial pressure is lower than the tolerance, right side flow is increased.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A biventricular cardiac prosthesis has a flow balance control system to balance blood flow through the left and right sides of the prosthesis to maintain a patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure within physiologic bounds. The prosthesis can be configured to have flow characteristics so that a signal representative of the difference in hydraulic pumping pressures on the left and right sides of the prosthesis is representative of the difference between left and right atrial pressures of a patient having the prosthesis implanted. This signal can be used as a control signal to drive the prosthesis so that left atrial pressure is approximately equal to right atrial pressure, and within physiologic bounds. A specific prosthesis includes left and right pumping sections, each having a blood pumping chamber and a hydraulic fluid chamber, with a reciprocating hydraulic pump driving systole alternately on the right and left sides. A hydraulic balance chamber is hydraulically coupled to the right hydraulic fluid chamber and an adjustable occluder varies flow resistance through the hydraulic coupling. The occluder can be adjusted based on the control signal to adjustably derate right side blood flow to achieve the desired pressure balance, or the occluder can be adjusted based on fluid communication with sources of pressure in the prosthesis that are representative of right and left atrial pressures.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a biventricular cardiac prosthesis having left and right pumping sections to maintain a patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure within physiologic bounds, comprising the steps of:
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measuring the patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure;
determining whether the patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure is outside of a tolerance around a desired left atrial pressure;
adjusting the flow of the right pumping section to bring the patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure within the tolerance wherein when the left atrial pressure is higher than the tolerance, right side flow is decreased, and when the left atrial pressure is lower than the tolerance, right side flow is increased. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A cardiac prosthesis comprising:
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a right pumping section having a blood pumping chamber connectable to a patient'"'"'s right atrium for blood inflow and connectable to a patient'"'"'s pulmonary artery for blood outflow, and a hydraulic pumping section;
a left pumping section having a blood pumping chamber connectable to a patient'"'"'s left atrium for blood inflow and connectable to a patient'"'"'s aorta for blood outflow, and a hydraulic pumping section;
a right pumping section pumping volume derating element;
a control element controlling the derating element to maintain a patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure within physiologic bounds. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. In a biventricular cardiac prosthesis having a reciprocating hydraulic pump for alternately pumping left and right hydraulic pumping chambers, a method for controlling flow balance between the left and right hydraulic pumping chambers to maintain left atrial pressure within physiologic bounds, comprising the steps of:
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measuring the pressure of each of the left and right hydraulic pumping chambers to generate a first signal representative of left hydraulic pumping chamber pressure and a second signal representative of right hydraulic pumping chamber pressure;
creating a control signal by comparing the first and second signals; and
adjusting the stroke volume of the right hydraulic pumping chamber based on changes in the control signal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A total artificial heart with controlled left and right flow, comprising:
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a right pumping section having a blood pumping chamber connectable to a patient'"'"'s right atrium for blood inflow and connectable to a patient'"'"'s pulmonary artery for blood outflow, and a hydraulic pumping section;
a left pumping section having a blood pumping chamber connectable to a patient'"'"'s left atrium for blood inflow and connectable to a patient'"'"'s aorta for blood outflow, and a hydraulic pumping section;
a reciprocating pump causing hydraulic fluid to flow between the right and left hydraulic pumping sections;
a hydraulic balance chamber responsive to a patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure; and
a hydraulic coupling between the hydraulic balance chamber and the right hydraulic pumping section to result in a shunt flow responsive to the difference between right hydraulic pumping pressure and left atrial pressure, the hydraulic coupling having a variable flow resistance that is adjustable to maintain balanced flow between the right and left pumping sections. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A total artificial heart with balanced flow for comprising:
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a right pumping section having a blood pumping chamber connectable to a patient'"'"'s right atrium for blood inflow and connectable to a patient'"'"'s pulmonary artery for blood outflow, and a hydraulic pumping section;
a left pumping section having a blood pumping chamber connectable to a patient'"'"'s left atrium for blood inflow and connectable to a patient'"'"'s aorta for blood outflow, and a hydraulic pumping section;
a reciprocating pump causing hydraulic fluid to flow between the right and left hydraulic pumping sections;
a sensor connectable to a patient'"'"'s left atrium for measuring left atrial pressure;
hydraulic balance chamber coupled to the right hydraulic pumping section for derating right side pumping volume; and
a controller responsive to the measured left atrial pressure and selectively derating right side pumping volume to maintain a patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure within physiologic bounds. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. A total artificial heart with balanced flow for comprising:
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a right pumping section having a blood pumping chamber connectable to a patient'"'"'s right atrium for blood inflow and connectable to a patient'"'"'s pulmonary artery for blood outflow, and a hydraulic pumping section having a pressure sensor measuring right hydraulic pumping section pressure;
a left pumping section having a blood pumping chamber connectable to a patient'"'"'s left atrium for blood inflow and connectable to a patient'"'"'s aorta for blood outflow, and a hydraulic pumping section having a pressure sensor measuring left hydraulic pumping section pressure;
a hydraulic balance chamber coupled to the right hydraulic pumping section for derating right side pumping volume; and
a controller responsive to the measured left and right hydraulic pressures and selectively derating right side pumping volume to maintain a patient'"'"'s left atrial pressure within physiologic bounds;
wherein the left and right blood pumping chambers are configured to provide substantially equal pressure drops for blood flowing through the left and right sides of the total artificial heart. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification