Artificial heart

Abstract

An artificial heart blood pump including a driving motor which can be contained within the human body and which performs pumping action when supplied from an electric power source from outside of the human body. The pump includes left and right ventricles defined by elastomeric films fixed inside a pump body near each side. Each ventricle has an inlet and an outlet provided with respective check valves. Within the pump body generally between the elastomeric films is a movable body having a cylindrical case with a bidirectional driving motor built in. The movable body rolls from side to side during operation to alternately press against the elastomeric films and discharge blood alternately from the ventricles. To cause the movable body to roll from side to side, the movable body has an end portion rotatably connected to each end of the cylindrical case, and the end portions each have a groove slidably engaging a side guide rail on inner surfaces of the pump body so as to prevent rotation of the end portions within and relative to the pump body. Power transmitting means, preferably in the form of a pair of planetary gear trains, connects a motor shaft to one of the end portions so as to provide bidirectional relative rotation between the cylindrical case and the one end portion such that the cylindrical case rotates within the pump body. To convert this rotation to side-to-side rolling, a semi-circumferential row of gear teeth on said cylindrical case engages a toothed rack on an inner surface of the pump body.