Tc1 LLC

Thoratec Corporation

Tci Incorporated

William V Hodges

Eric T Lee

Steven H Reichenbach

Yi-Ren Woo

Stephen G Briana

David Gary Eldridge

Pieter W C J Le Blanc

Onur Dur

Ian Coll McEachern

Blood pump devices having improved rotary seals for sealing a bearing assembly supporting a rotor provided herein. Such rotary seals are particularly suited for use in blood pump devices that include rotors having cantilevered supported through a sealed mechanical bearing disposed outside a blood flow path of the device to avoid thrombus formation caused by blood contact with the bearing. The rotary seal can include a first and second face seal that are preloaded with a deflectable compliance member incorporated into the pump housing or a pair of magnets. Such rotary seals can instead or further utilize tight fitment between components or a bio-absorbable fill material to seal an interface between the rotor shaft and pump housing to seal the bearing assembly from fluid flowing through the pump.

Rotary seal for cantilevered rotor pump and methods for axial flow blood pumping

Blood pumps for ventricular assist devices employ a hollow rotor to impel blood through the blood pump. A blood pump includes a housing having a housing inlet, a housing outlet, and a housing blood flow channel through which the housing inlet and the housing outlet are in fluid communication. A motor stator is disposed around the housing blood flow channel and operable to generate a rotating magnetic field. A hollow rotor is disposed within the housing blood flow channel and rotated via the rotating magnetic field. The hollow rotor has a rotor circumferential wall enclosing a rotor blood flow channel. The hollow rotor has at least one rotor blade extending inwardly from the rotor circumferential wall. The at least one rotor blade is configured to impel blood through the rotor blood flow channel when the hollow rotor is rotated via the rotating magnetic field.

Ventricular assist devices having a hollow rotor and methods of use

Blood pump devices having one or more sensors for monitoring performance of a bearing assembly and/or a fluid-tight seal are provided herein. Such devices are particularly useful in blood pump devices that have cantilevered rotors supported by a sealed mechanical bearing disposed outside a blood flow path of the device to avoid thrombus formation caused by blood contact with the bearing. The one or more sensors can include one or more accelerometers adapted to detect movement of the bearing assembly along one or more axes during operation of the pump. A vibration profile can be determined from the movement data from the one or more sensors that is indicative of performance of the bearing assembly and/or seal so as to allow monitoring over time.

Devices and methods for monitoring bearing and seal performance

Blood pump devices having improved rotor design are provided herein. Such blood pump devices include rotors having cantilevered support through a sealed mechanical bearing disposed outside a blood flow path of the device so as to avoid thrombus formation caused by blood contact with the bearing. The bearing means can be rotatably coupled with a proximal portion of the rotor shaft extending outside the fluid path, while a stator drives rotation of the rotor shaft so that one or more rotor blades on a distal portion of the rotor force blood flow through the device. The bearing means may include one or more radial bearings on a proximal portion of the rotor shaft that are isolated from the blood flow path by one or more rotary seals.

Cantilevered rotor pump and methods for axial flow blood pumping

A blood pump includes a hub having an axis of rotation and a generally cylindrical shape. The hub has an upstream end region, a central region, and a downstream end region, and the hub includes a magnetic material. Blades that are disposed on the downstream end region of the hub extend downstream of the hub.

Pump and method for mixed flow blood pumping

An implantable connector utilizing having improved electrical and mechanical properties is described herein. In one aspect, the implantable connector utilizes electrical contact pins fabricated from a corrosion resistant metal alloy, such as platinum-iridium, that engage longitudinally and include one or more urging members on a proximal portion of the pin so as to provide at least a desired contact force between conductively coupled pins. Such a configuration allows contact between contact pins to be maintained in applications where the connector may be subject to movement and further allows for reduced resistance so as to allow transmission of voltages and current associated with higher powered implanted devices. In some embodiments, the urging member is defined as a helical cut potion in one or both electrical contacts. Methods of use and manufacture of such connectors are also provided herein.

Compliant implantable connector and methods of use and manufacture

A blood pump includes a rotor having a flared portion downstream proximate a downstream bearing that supports the rotor. The flared portion of the rotor includes a width greater than a width of an upstream portion of the rotor. A blood pump also includes a housing having an internal wall with a flared portion downstream of a motor stator and proximate a transverse outlet.

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Tracy, CA, United States of America

William V Hodges