Permanently implantable artificial heart

Abstract

Abstract 1444614 Reciprocating pumps W H KURPANEK 4 Oct 1973 46467/73 Heading F1A [Also in Division A5] A permanently implantable artificial heart comprises a casing the upper part of which contains at least two chambers each having inlet and outlet passages containing one-way valves and each chamber being separated from a lower part of the casing by an elastic diaphragm which is expandable into its corresponding chamber by reciprocating electromagnetic pumping means located within a pumping chamber in the lower part of the heart. The heart may comprise two halves having separate atrium and ventricle chambers as shown. The pumping means comprises two cobalt rare-earth magnets 13 rigidly mounted in spaced relationship with opposite poles facing each other, a coil 12, and a ferromagnetic piston 11 movable between the magnets on guides 15. D.C. pulses of alternating polarity are applied to the coil to reciprocate the piston thereby causing pumping fluid 4 to distend the diaphragms alternately into the atrium and ventricle chambers, the fluid passing through perforated portions of the pump chamber. Blood flow is controlled by valves comprising hinged plastics flaps each containing a permanent magnet or a soft iron piece magnetically attracted by a permanent magnet on the casing wall. The coil is energized by an induction coil 7 for transmission of current through the patients' chest wall and batteries 9. In a modification the heart comprises two chambers each of which acts as both an atrium and a ventricle.

Inventors

No inventors recorded.

Bibliographic Details