Artificial heart

• US 7,320,706 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Scandinavian Real Heart AB
• Original Assignee: Azad Al-Najjar
• Inventors: Al-Najjar, Azad
• Primary Examiner(s): Willse; David H.
• Application Number:
  US10/706,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20060173538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 600/16, 600/17, 623/3.11, 623/3.17, 623/3.2, 623/3.16, 623/3.18, 623/3.19, 623 321- 325, 623/3.28, 623/FOR.102
• US Class Current: 623/3.19
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/196 replacing the entire heart, e.g. total artificial hearts [TAH]
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/268 the displacement member being flexible, e.g. membranes, diaphragms or bladders
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/435 with diastole or systole switching by valve means located between the blood pump and the hydraulic or pneumatic energy source
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/562 for making blood flow pulsatile in blood pumps that do not intrinsically create pulsatile flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/894 Passive valves, i.e. valves actuated by the blood

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heart prosthesis/artificial heart comprising a series of drawing and pressing devices. The prosthesis/artificial heart is to be implanted in a patient to replace the pumping activity of a heart. The heart comprises at least two compartments (5, 6, 12, 13, 25, 26, 27, 28), substantially surrounded by a rigid-wall provided house (2, 3, 31). The house contains a number of drawing and/or pressing devices (10, 48, 50), which are partly fixedly attached to the rigid-wall provided house (2, 3, 31) and are partly fixedly attached to a flexible, elastic wall layer (7, 30) arranged in a respective compartment. The drawing and/or pressing devices (10, 48, 50) are arranged to draw the elastic wall layers (7, 30) towards the rigid-wall provided house (2, 3, 31) for filling the compartments (12, 13, 27, 28).

Claims

1. A heart prosthesis intended to be implanted in a patient to replace the pumping activity of a heart comprising at least two compartments, substantially surrounded by a house with a rigid wall and containing a number of drawing and/or pressing devices, which are partly fixedly attached to said rigid-wall provided house and partly fixedly attached to a flexible, elastic wall layer arranged in a respective compartment, whereby the drawing and/or pressing devices are arranged to draw said elastic wall layer towards said rigid-wall provided house for filling said compartments, the prosthesis also comprising two halves, comprising an atrium, and ventricles, respectively, separated by a plate with at least one valve, which plate is arranged to be able to be moved between the ventricles and atriums by means of drawing and/or pressing devices arranged in said rigid wall provided house.

2. A heart prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein the heart prosthesis comprises four compartments.

3. A heart prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein the drawing and/or pressing devices are drawing and pressing electromechanical devices, respectively, including electromagnets.

4. A heart prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein said plate is arranged to be moved by means of electromagnets or a hydraulic device arranged in said wall.

5. A heart prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein the drawing and/or pressing devices are drawing, and pressing, respectively, hydraulically activated pistons.

6. A heart prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein the heart prosthesis is arranged to be controlled digitally via software present in a circuit board for diastole, atrial systole, and systole.

7. A heart prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein the heart prosthesis is supplied with energy from one or more DC batteries.