The Penn State Research Foundation

Thoratec Corporation

Tc1 LLC

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Tci Incorporated

Daniel Metrey

Daniel A Walters

Mark W McBride

Robert L Campbell

Thomas M Mallison

Kevin J Powell

Eric C Myer

Phyllis Yuen

William James Repka

Adam Roslund

Jeremy J Koncoski

Robert F Kunz

Justin M Walsh

Edward Boone

Alberico Menozzi

Daniel P Thivierge

Richard E Dooley

Allen L Treaster

Michael J Beam

Todd K Fetterolf

Disclosed herein are heart pumps that can include a catheter body and an impeller coupled with a distal end of the catheter body. The impeller can include a tip that is resealable or that includes a resealable member. The heart pump can also include a diffuser disposed between the distal end of the catheter body and the impeller, wherein the diffuser includes a flow directing surface.

Percutaneous heart pump

Disclosed herein is a method of pumping blood in a patient. The method includes inserting an impeller housing and impeller into the patient, the impeller disposed within the impeller housing and having a longitudinal axis, positioning the impeller housing and the impeller at a treatment location in the patient, activating an adjustment device at a proximal end portion of the heart pump outside the patient to provide relative motion between the impeller housing and the impeller along the longitudinal axis, and pumping blood through the impeller housing along the longitudinal axis.

A blood pump includes an impeller having a plurality of foldable blades and a cannula having a proximal portion with a fixed diameter, and a distal portion with an expandable diameter. The impeller can reside in the expandable portion of the cannula. The cannula has a collapsed condition for percutaneous delivery to a desired location within the body, and an expanded condition in which the impeller can rotate to pump blood. A flexible drive shaft can extend through the cannula for rotationally driving the impeller within the patient's body.

Blood pump with expandable cannula

The mechanism of the present invention maneuvers a vehicle by deflecting the flow from a propulsor of the vehicle. The mechanism has an elastomeric nozzle that encases the flow and is deflected via an articulation device mountable inside the vehicle. The nozzle is shaped and supported by spiral-wound composite to maintain a circular cross-section through a range of motion. An end of the nozzle is attached to the shroud of the propulsor and another end is supported by a ring with support struts radiating from a hub. The hub is supported by a shaft attached to a gimbal. The gimbal is constrained in movement by an outer race and an anti-rotation stud in a radial slot in a ball of the gimbal. A linkage as part of an articulation device controls rotation of the gimbal to direct movement of the shaft and enclosed nozzle thereby deflecting flow of the propulsor.

Articulation mechanism and elastomeric nozzle for thrust-vectored control of an undersea vehicle

Growing community of inventors

Blacksburg, VA, United States of America

Daniel Metrey