Electronic control system for a cardiac prosthesis

Abstract

An electronic control system for controlling the operation of a cardiac prosthesis is disclosed. The cardiac prosthesis includes dominant and subordinate ventricles which receive blood in response to body requirements and an actuation device coupled to the ventricles for ejecting blood from the ventricles. The electronic control system includes sensing devices to determine the volume of blood in the ventricles as a function of time. A control device, which in the preferred embodiment is a programmed microcomputer, includes a clock controller which first determines the filling flow rates of the ventricles from the volume information from the sensing devices. The ventricle with the greatest filling flow rate is selected as the dominant ventricle. The clock controller then adjusts the heart rate of the cardiac prosthesis as a function of the filling flow rate of the dominant ventricle to allow just enough time for the dominant ventricle to fill completely. The control device further includes first and second ejection rate controllers which generate control signals to adjust the ejection rates of the dominant and subordinate ventricles in accordance with adjusted heart rate so the dominant and subordinate ventricles can eject all blood in the time allowed by the adjusted heart rate. The control signals are supplied to pump motors to contro the operation of pump motors which in turn drive the actuation device to eject blood from the ventricles.