The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 10, 2002
Filed:
Oct. 20, 2000
Yih-Choung Yu, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Kirk A. Lehmann, Library, PA (US);
John Chiasson, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Wayne P. Griffin, Cranberry, PA (US);
CardiacAssist, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for non-invasive flow indication through a rotary blood pump. The apparatus includes a blood pump adapted for implantation into a patient. The blood pump has a moving mechanism which contacts blood and imparts energy to the blood to move the blood in the patient at a desired flow rate. The apparatus a mechanism for causing the moving mechanism to move the blood. The causing mechanism is engaged with the moving mechanism. The causing mechanism receiving energy to power the causing mechanism. The apparatus comprises a sensorless flow indicator connected to the blood pump to identify the flow of blood through the pump based only on an energy balance between the energy imparted to the blood by the moving mechanism and the energy received by the causing mechanism. A method for determining blood flow in a patient. The method includes the steps of providing energy to a blood pump implanted in a patient to operate the pump. Then there is the step of imparting energy to blood in the patient with the blood pump at a desired flow rate. Next there is the step of identifying the flow rate only by balancing the energy imparted to the blood with energy provided to the pump.