Systems for upgrading ventricle assist devices

• US 9,789,237 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schade, Christian, Kimball, Brian, Kopson, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Rex R
• Application Number:
  US15/451,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20170173239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3334 Measuring or controlling the flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3365 Rotational speed
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• 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 60/232 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 60/422 the force acting on the blood contacting member being electromagnetic, e.g. using canned motor pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/538 Regulation using real-time blood pump operational parameter data, e.g. motor current
• 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 60/585 User interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/814 Volutes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/822 specially adapted for being actively controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/824 Hydrodynamic or fluid film bearings
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/863 Apex rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/88 Percutaneous cables
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades

Abstract

Systems and devices for an updatable blood pump are disclosed herein. The blood pump can be part of a mechanical circulatory support system that can include a system controller and the blood pump. The blood pump can include a rotary motor and a control unit that can communicate with the system controller. The system controller can initiate the update process and can provide the update to the blood pump. Upon initiation of the update process, the control unit can stop the rotary motor. While the rotary motor is stopped, the blood pump can be updated. At the completion of the update, the rotary pump can be restarted.

Claims

1. A mechanical circulatory support system comprising:

a controller configured to generate a signal initiating an update process and configured to transmit update information; and

an implantable blood pump communicatively coupled to the controller, the blood pump comprising;

a rotor; and

a control unit communicatively coupled with the rotor and configured to;

control the motion and position of the rotor;

receive the signal initiating the update process; and

temporarily stop the rotor in response to the signal initiating the update process.

2. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 1, wherein the rotor comprises impeller blades, wherein the rotor is radially levitated and driven by the control unit.

3. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

receive an update;

verify the update; and

store the update in place of an un-updated application, all while the rotor is temporarily stopped.

4. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 3, further comprising restarting movement of the rotor after the update has been verified.

5. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 1, wherein the rotor is temporarily stopped for a period of time less than forty-five seconds.

6. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 1, wherein the rotor is temporarily stopped for a period of time less than one minute.

7. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 1, wherein the rotor is temporarily stopped for a period of time less than five minutes.

8. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 1, further comprising a first application comprising parameters for rotor control and a second application comprising parameters for rotor control, wherein the processor is configure d to not erase one of the first and second applications during the update process.

9. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 8, wherein the control unit comprises flash memory comprising a plurality of partitions.

10. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 9, wherein at least two of the partitions each comprise an application including parameters for controlling the operation of the blood pump.

11. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 10, wherein the parameters define at least one of pump speed and pulsatile operation.

12. The mechanical circulatory support system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises an external controller configured to wirelessly transmit update information or an external controller having as driveline coupled to the implantable pump to transmit update information.

13. An implantable blood pump comprising:

a rotary motor;

a control unit communicatively coupled with the rotary motor and comprising memory having a plurality of partitions, wherein a plurality of applications are loaded in at least some of the partitions, wherein the control unit is configured to;

control the motion and position of the rotary motor; and

temporarily stop the rotary motor in response to a signal initiating an update process.

14. The implantable blood pump of claim 13, wherein each of the applications of the plurality of applications are uniquely associated with a datum and data identifying the time of the loading of each the applications into the partition.

15. The implantable blood pump of claim 14, wherein the control unit is configured to select one of the applications of the plurality of applications for replacement.

16. The implantable blood pump of claim 15, wherein the one of the applications of the plurality of applications is selected for replacement if:

the datum associated with the application does not match a datum generated by the control unit;

or

if the application data identifying the time of the loading of the application into the partition identifies the application as the earliest loaded application of the plurality of applications.

17. The implantable blood pump of claim 16, wherein the plurality of applications comprises a first application and a second application, and wherein the first and second applications comprise instructions for controlling the operation of the rotary motor.

18. The implantable blood pump of claim 17, wherein the control unit is configured to not erase one of the plurality of applications during the update process.

19. The implantable blood pump of claim 13, wherein the control unit is configured to direct the restart of movement of the rotor after the completion of the update.

20. The implantable blood pump of claim 19, wherein the update is completed after one of:

verification of the update; and

a passage of a predetermined amount of time.

21. The implantable blood pump of claim 20, wherein the rotary motor is restarted according to one of the plurality of applications after the passage of a predetermined amount of time.

22. The implantable blood pump of claim 13, wherein the rotary motor is located within a first implantable housing and the control unit is located in a second implantable housing.