Device for cardiocirculatory assistance

Abstract

There is described a device for cardiocirculatory assistance, also named ventricular assist device, comprising a haematic pump (50) with pump body (7) having an inner space (21) defined by a rigid structure (51) and a pair of mobile membranes (16, 17) alternatively driven in opposite directions by alternatively positive pressure and negative pressure gas supplied in recesses (19, 20) surrounding the two membranes by means of an external pneumatic force generating unit (1). This device achieves excellent operation results while maintaining reduced size and reduced weight (FIG. 1).

Description

The present invention relates to a device for cardiocirculatory assistance which is obtained by means of a special haematic pump driven by pneumatic energy.

It is known that in heart-surgery practice some devices for the mechanical assistance of the heart are used, commonly indicated as “ventricular assist devices (V.A.D.)” or “total artificial hearts (T.A.H.)”.

These are essentially devices adapted to mechanically pump blood to produce pulsing or continuous blood flows.

Such devices are employed to solve acute reversible heart failure clinical cases (as infarct or myocarditis) or are used to support the circulatory function while waiting for a heart transplant.

There have been for years several both left and right ventricular assist devices or biventricular assist devices (T.A.H.): some of them are commercially available, others have been developed only at an experimental stage.

In most cases, the currently existing devices exhibit some difficulties to be accommodated inside the chest, because of problems both with size and weight.

Other drawbacks that can be found therein are caused by their inner configurations and their pumping modes, which may induce haemolysis or blood clot formation.

Some solutions currently use a balloon (ventricular sac) or a single membrane as a blood contacting flexible element. These devices, as their inherent feature, do not allow a blood circulation in the pump avoiding the above mentioned problems. Another negative aspect of these currently available solutions is represented by the weight and size of the driving units, associated to the pumping device, which render the portability, namely the easy transport by the patient, essentially non-existent.

In view of this state of the art, it was the object of the present invention to obtain a device for cardiocirculatory assistance exhibiting high reliability and having reduced weight and size.

In accordance with the present invention, such an object is achieved by a device for cardiocirculatory assistance characterised in that it comprises a haematic pump with a pump body having an inner space defined by a rigid structure and a pair of opposed position mobile membranes, a pair of rigid lids defining around said mobile membranes respective recesses supplied with alternatively positive pressure and negative pressure gas by an external pulsing pneumatic energy generating unit, so as to alternatively draw said mobile membranes reciprocally together and apart in order to respectively decrease and increase the volume of said inner space of the pump body, a blood input tubing in said inner space of the pump body, a blood output tubing from said inner space and a pair of spontaneously opening one-way valves respectively associated to said tubings in order to allow, in combination with the volume variation of the inner space of the pump body induced by the alternate motion of the two membranes, a continuous filling and evacuating cycle of the inner space of the pump body, therefore generating a blood flow rate depending on the number of pulses provided by the external pneumatic energy generating unit.

By means of its special two-membrane pumping system, the haematic pump comprised in the device according to the invention, allows to obtain a particularly efficient and effective haematic flow, as well as exhibiting high reliability, also obtaining on the whole a device having no inertial sussultatory motions, where the periodically pulsing haematic flow provides pulses, which may be synchronous or asynchronous with respect to the heart pulse, the whole driven by an external pneumatic energy generating unit which may have reduced weight and reduced size.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of a device for cardiocirculatory assistance according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the haematic pump comprised in the device of FIG. 1, with the membranes shown in resting position;

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section of the haematic pump in a plane parallel to that of FIG. 2, with the pump shown in resting position;

FIG. 4 shows a similar longitudinal section of the haematic pump during a delivery or compression step;

FIG. 5 shows a similar longitudinal section of the haematic pump during a suction or filling step;

FIG. 6 shows the haematic pump in longitudinal section according to line VI-VI of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 shows the haematic pump sectioned along line VII-VII of FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic drawing of the various components of a device for cardiocirculatory assistance according to the present invention.

The device comprises a pneumatic energy (gas) generating unit 1 supplied by a battery set 2, which transmits pneumatic energy to a tube 5 positioned inside the body of the patient (generally indicated by reference number 100) through a flexible tube 3 and a transcutaneous implant 4.

The inner tube 5 is connected to an input 6 of a haematic pump 50 having a pump body 7 in a haemocompatible material sealed between two rigid protective lids 8 and 15, obtainable in a material compatible with the body tissues of the patient, reciprocally fixed so as to form a single piece, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

Between the two lids 8 and 15, the pump body 7 envisages two flexible inner membranes 16 and 17 (FIG. 3), defining a substantially cylindrical shaped inner space 21 together with a remaining rigid structure 51 (FIGS. 3, 6 and 7), communicating with two inlets 9 and 10, to which respective haemocompatible tubings 11 and 13 commonly used in heart surgery techniques are connected (FIG. 1), where there are housed two automatic one-way valves 12 and 14, named spontaneously opening, commonly used in valve replacement surgery.

Under the control of the automatic valve 14, tubing 13 withdraws blood from an atrium of the heart (e.g. through an atrioventricular tube) or from other areas of the cardiovascular system and inputs it in the inner space 21 of the haematic pump 50, which pushes the blood itself to the blood vessels of the systemic circulation and pulmonary circulation through the other tubing 11 provided with automatic valve 12.

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section of the haematic pump 50 in resting position.

In operation, through connection 6 and an inner channelling 18 of the pump body 7, a gas from generator 1 and from tubes 3 and 5 (named operating gas) is initially inputted inside two recesses 19 and 20 defined between the two flexible membranes 16 and 17 and the two rigid lids 8 and 15 and then in-taken from said recesses.

The blood in inner space 21 of the pump body 7 does not contact the compressed gas generated by the pneumatic energy external unit 1 as it is separated from it by means of two mobile membranes 16 and 17.

In turn, the two lids 8 and 15 avoid contact between the working gas and the body tissues of the patient. Their resistance also allows an efficient protection against knocks and any handling action exerted on pump 50.

As shown in FIG. 4, haematic pump 50 comprises a compression or delivery step, in which gas deriving from the pneumatic energy external generator 1 of FIG. 1 is pushed inside the two recesses 19 and 20 through channelling 18. The compressed gas inputted in recesses 19 and 20 pushes the mobile membranes 16 one towards the other and towards the inside of the pump thus inducing a decrease of the inner space 21.

The blood contained therein no longer finding a space to occupy, is thus forced to leave the pump body through the only available aperture, the one obtained inside inlet 10 (FIG. 6), from which tubing 11 provided with automatic one-way valve 12 (FIG. 1) allows the blood flow to the systemic or pulmonary circulation.

FIG. 5 shows a section of the haematic pump in a following suction or filling step. In this step, gas is in-taken from the two chambers 19 and 20 by the external pneumatic energy generator 1 through conduit 18 and tubings 5 and 3 connected thereto by means of connection 6.

The evacuation of the working gas from the two chambers 19 and 20 determines the motion of the two membranes 16 and 17 in direction opposite to the previous one, namely outwards, inducing an increase of the inner space 21 of the pump body 7.

This exclusively blood-occupied volume draws from the outside, by increasing its capacity, more blood that enters in space 21 through inlet aperture 9 and tubing 13, where valve 14 of FIG. 1 automatically opens to allow a one-way blood flow directed inside the pump body.

As already mentioned, both valves 14 and 12 are one-way flow and spontaneously opening, namely their aperture occurs automatically depending on the blood flow direction in the respective connection tubings 13 and 11, and therefore on the pressure in inner space 21 of the pump. More precisely, valve 14 opens if the pump draws blood in inner space 21 and closes if the blood flow tends to invert its direction, whereas valve 12 has an opposite operation, closing when blood moves inside the pump and opening if blood is pushed out of the pump itself.

The above described operation steps with reference to FIGS. 5 and 4 alternatively follow each other generating a continuous blood suction and delivery cycle, which allows the haematic pump to operate as mechanical servo system to the heart.

During such cycle, the two membranes 16 and 17 are subjected to homogenous radial tensions, which render the cycle itself regular and preserve the membranes from premature wear.

Note that the substantially cylindrical inner conformation, with circular or elliptical bases, of space 21, clearly shown in FIG. 6, in combination with an appropriate processing of its inner surfaces, allows blood to move from the input inlet 9 to the output inlet 10 following a circular path skimming the inner wall of the space itself, exerting a continuous washing of the same and avoiding the formation of stasis and particular stresses for the molecules and substances residing in the blood, which may generate dangerous circumstances for the health of the patient.

Furthermore, the two mobile membranes 16 and 17 are designed so that the value of their inertial masses and accelerations is such that the inertial forces existing in the haematic pump cancel each other generating a sum of forces equal to zero or very close to zero, thus avoiding sussultatory motions caused by inertial forces.

The function of the operating gas and the role carried out by external pneumatic energy generating unit 1 of FIG. 1 are now apparent. The operating gas used to compress inner membranes 16 and 17 of pump 50 is shifted by periodic alternate motion in alternate input/output direction to/from the haematic pump by means of a positive pressure/negative pressure generated by external unit 1.

This external unit is obtained with reduced weight and reduced size features so as to facilitate to render its transport by the patient easy without using special equipment as trolleys or other voluminous equipments. It may be carried on the shoulder back or attached to the trouser belt of the patient by appropriate systems.

In brief, the device for cardiocirculatory assistance according to the present invention is a device which is capable of shifting sufficient blood amounts, producing a pulsing blood flow with variable flow rate depending on the number of pulses per minute generated by the external pneumatic energy unit by means of the operating gas.

The special inner configuration of the pump allows to obtain a particularly efficient and effective haematic flow also obtaining on the whole a device having no inertial sussultatory motions, where the periodic pulsing haematic flow provides pulses which may be synchronous or asynchronous with respect to the heart beat, the whole being driven by a small sized pneumatic energy generator.

The pulses generated may thus create the blood pumping state having pulsing motion synchronous to the heart beat, which is a specific feature of this invention.

It is known that the pumping of blood having pulsing motion is much more physiological than the continuous motion obtained by currently existing centrifugal pumping systems.

Many minor modifications, not affecting the general principle at the basis of the present invention and which is defined in following claim 1, may of course be made to the above described device by way of example.

Specifically, valves 12 and 14 of FIG. 1 may be housed inside blood suction and delivery inlets 9 and 10, instead of being inserted in tubings 11 and 13.

Inlets 9 and 10 may in turn be reciprocally angled or parallel.

When the two membranes are in resting position, they may lie on reciprocally parallel planes, as shown in FIG. 3, or on reciprocally diverging planes in the direction of inlets 9 and 10.

Claims

1. A device for cardiocirculatory assistance characterised in that it comprises a haematic pump (50) with a pump body (7) having an inner space (21) defined by a rigid structure (51) and by a pair of membranes (16, 17) mobile in an opposite position, a pair of rigid lids (8, 15) defining around said mobile membranes (16, 17) respective recesses (19, 20) supplied with alternatively positive pressure and negative pressure gas by an external pulsing pneumatic energy generating unit (1), so as to alternatively draw said mobile membranes (16, 17) reciprocally together and apart in order to respectively decrease and increase the volume of said inner space (21) of pump body (7), a blood input tubing (13) in said inner space (21) of pump body (7), a blood output tubing (11) from said inner space (21) and a pair of spontaneously opening one-way valves (14, 12) respectively associated to said tubings (13, 11) in order to allow, in combination with the volume variation of inner space (21) of the pump body (7) induced by the alternate motion of the two membranes (16, 17), a continuous filling and evacuating cycle of inner space (21) of pump body (7), thus generating a blood flow rate depending on the number of pulses provided by the external pneumatic energy generating unit (1).

2. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said inner space (21) of the pump body (7) has a blood input inlet (9) and a blood output inlet (10) respectively connected to said blood input and output tubings (13, 11)

3. A device according to claim 2, characterised in that, when in resting position, said membranes (16, 17) lie on reciprocally divergent planes in the direction of said inlets (9, 10).

4. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that, when in resting position, said membranes (16, 17) lie on reciprocally parallel planes.

5. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that the two mobile membranes (16, 17) are designed so that the value of their inertial masses and their accelerations is such that the inertial forces existing in the haematic pump cancel each other cancel out generating a sum of forces equal to zero or very close to zero, thus avoiding the generation of sussultatory motions of the device.

6. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said valves (12, 14) are inserted inside said tubings (11, 13).

7. A device according to claim 2, characterised in that said valves (12, 14) are inserted inside said blood input and output inlets (9, 10).

8. A device according to claim 2, characterised in that said inlets (9, 10) have reciprocally angled axes.

9. A device according to claim 2, characterised in that said inlets (9, 10) have reciprocally parallel axes.

10. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that all of parts (7, 16, 17, 9-14) concerned by blood flow are formed by haemocompatible material.

11. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said recesses (19, 20) of the haematic pump (50) are connected to the external pneumatic energy generating unit (1) by a tube (5) internal to the body of the patient, a transcutaneous implant (4) and a flexible external tube (3).

12. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said external pneumatic energy generating unit (1) is adapted to generate alternate positive pressures and negative pressures at a variable frequency to correspondingly vary the blood flow rate of the pump (5) depending on the needs of the patient.

13. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said external pneumatic energy generating unit (1) has a size such that it may be easily carried by the patient without the aid of special equipment, but simply with the aid of belts or rucksacks.

14. A device according to claim 2, characterised in that, when in resting position, said membranes (16, 17) lie on reciprocally parallel planes.

15. A device according to claim 2, characterised in that the two mobile membranes (16, 17) are designed so that the value of their inertial masses and their accelerations is such that the inertial forces existing in the haematic pump cancel each other cancel out generating a sum of forces equal to zero or very close to zero, thus avoiding the generation of sussultatory motions of the device.

16. A device according to claim 3, characterised in that the two mobile membranes (16, 17) are designed so that the value of their inertial masses and their accelerations is such that the inertial forces existing in the haematic pump cancel each other cancel out generating a sum of forces equal to zero or very close to zero, thus avoiding the generation of sussultatory motions of the device.

17. A device according to claim 4, characterised in that the two mobile membranes (16, 17) are designed so that the value of their inertial masses and their accelerations is such that the inertial forces existing in the haematic pump cancel each other cancel out generating a sum of forces equal to zero or very close to zero, thus avoiding the generation of sussultatory motions of the device.

18. A device according to claim 14, characterised in that the two mobile membranes (16, 17) are designed so that the value of their inertial masses and their accelerations is such that the inertial forces existing in the haematic pump cancel each other cancel out generating a sum of forces equal to zero or very close to zero, thus avoiding the generation of sussultatory motions of the device.

19. A device according to claim 2, characterised in that said valves (12, 14) are inserted inside said tubings (11, 13).

20. A device according to claim 3, characterised in that said valves (12, 14) are inserted inside said tubings (11, 13).