Abiomed, Inc.

Stephen Vaughan

Zhenghong Tao

Scott C Corbett

Jeffery T Juretich

Mike Finnegan

Christopher Zarins

Dion Mraz

Robert B Stewart

Marie-Eve Mongeau

Julius Steven Becker

Zenghong Tao

William Bolt

Systems and methods for providing a reinforced cannula for use in a blood pump assembly. The reinforced cannula comprises one or more thermoformed reinforced end portions. The thermoformed reinforced end portions may be stiffer than a medial portion of the cannula, allowing the medial portion of the cannula body to stretch and bend more readily than the cannula ends when the cannula is subject to an applied stress, reducing the stress and strain on the cannula ends.

Double thermoform cannula

A polymeric heart valve is disclosed which includes a valve body having a central axis and including a conduit extending along the central axis from an inflow end to an outflow end; and at least three flexible leaflets extending from the body into the conduit, each of the leaflets defining an attachment curve with the body. Respective pairs of leaflets each define a commissure located proximal the body. The at least three leaflets define a partially open position at rest, a fully open position deflecting away from the central axis during forward blood flow along a direction from the inflow end to the outflow end, and a closed position deflecting toward the central axis during reverse blood flow along a direction from the outflow end to the inflow end.

Flow optimized polymeric heart valve

A cannula supporting a percutaneous pump can include a proximal section with a first flexural modulus. The cannula can include one or more distal sections with a flexural modulus that is different than the first flexural modulus. The material and its arrangement along the length of the cannula can be selected so as to influence bending properties. This can, for example, allow efficient positioning of the cannula in a desired location without displacing the guidewire.

Thermoform cannula with variable cannula body stiffness

A method is disclosed of applying a radiopaque marker to a cannula for use with an intracardiac pump, the method including: obtaining a band of radiopaque polymer material; placing the band around an outer diameter of the cannula, the cannula including a flexible tubular wall formed around and supported by a coil of shape memory material; placing a heat shrink tube around the band and the cannula; heating the band and the polymer tube to: soften the band, cause the heat shrink tube to shrink and apply force on the softened band towards the cannula, and cause the softened band to be welded to the cannula to form a radiopaque marker in a portion of the tubular wall; and removing the heat shrink tube.

Radiopaque cannula marker

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Medford, MA, United States of America

Stephen Vaughan