Sunshine Heart Company Pty Limited

Milsom Holdings Limited

Frederick Paget Milsom

Colin Edward Sullivan

Geoffrey Hamilton White

William Suttle Peters

Hans Hansforth Henrichsen

Peter Crispin Lawrence Marsh

Rolf Gunnar Unger

An apparatus and method for use in assisting a human heart are disclosed. The apparatus comprises an aortic compression means which may be fully implanatable, a fluid reservoir and a pump means adapted to pump a fluid from the reservoir to the aortic compression means so as to actuate the aortic compression means at least partly in counterpulsation with the patient's heart. In addition, the device is adapted to be wholly positioned within the right chest cavity of the patient. The aortic compression means of the device may be curved along its length so as to substantially replicate the curve of the ascending aorta.

Heart assist devices, systems and methods

An apparatus and method for use in assisting a human heart are disclosed. The apparatus comprises an aortic compression means which may be fully implantable, a fluid reservoir and a pump means adapted to pump a fluid from the reservoir to the aortic compression means so as to actuate the aortic compression means at least partly in counterpulsation with the patient's heart. In addition, the device is adapted to be wholly positioned within the right chest cavity of the patient. The aortic compression means of the device may be curved along its length so as to substantially replicate the curve of the ascending aorta.

The apparatus includes a flow control conduit ( ) connectable with an output portion of the heart, preferably a bypassed portion of the aorta, and includes a means of feeding heart fluid (R/O), for example blood or cardioplegia into the heart. The flow control device ( ) includes in communication a variable resistance pressure control means ( ) which is variably biased to a closed position to maintain on the bypassed heart region a predetermined level of pressure, to facilitate the creation of back pressure during filling of the bypassed heart region or a beat or pumping phase of the heart, and when the heart fluid pressure increases to reach a predetermined threshold, the pressure control means facilitates a release of fluid from the conduit, thus facilitating expulsion of potential emboli from the bypassed heart region, and enabling &ldquo;cycling&rdquo; of the heart while in a bypassed condition, prior to the bypassed region being taken off bypass. The invention includes preferred and alternative embodiments of variable resistance pressure control means including a hollow deformable bladder ( ) biased by a compressible control fluid externally of said bladder.

Growing community of inventors

Auckland, New Zealand

Frederick Paget Milsom