Centrifugal blood pump assembly having magnetic material embedded in

Abstract

A centrifugal fluid pump assembly includes a housing having fluid inlet and outlet ports and an impeller having magnetic pieces disposed therein and accommodated for rotation in the housing for feeding the fluid, typically blood by a centrifugal force developed during rotation. A rotational torque generating mechanism including a rotor having magnets for attracting the magnetic pieces in the impeller and a motor for rotating the rotor serves to impart a rotational torque to the impeller in a non-contact relationship for thereby rotating the impeller. The impeller has vanes which define radially outwardly extending fluid passages therebetween. The magnetic pieces are embedded in the vanes.