Heart pump augmentation system and apparatus

Claim 1

A MYOCARDIAL AUGMENTATION SYSTEM EMPLOYING AS AN INPUT A SELECTED PORTION OF ONE OF THE PATIENT''S PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, COMPRISING: CANNULA MEANS ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED INTO THE PATIENT''S CIRCULATORY SYSTEM, A PUMP FOR DELIVERING FLUID TO AND WITHDRAWING FLUID FROM SAID CANNULA MEANS IN TIMED RELATION TO THE PATIENT''S NATURAL HEART ACTION, SAID PUMP HAVING A PUMPING CHAMBER, MEANS CONNECTING SAID CANNULA MEANS TO SAID PUMPING CHAMBER; AN INPUT CIRCUIT FOR RECEIVING A SIGNAL REPRESENTING THE SELECTED PARAMETER OF THE PATIENT, MEANS FOR BLOCKING OUT UNDERSIRED HIGH FREQUENCY SIGNALS IMPOSED ON THE RECEIVED SIGNAL, MEANS FOR SELECTING EITHER THE UPWARD OR DOWNWARD SWEEP OF THE RECEIVED SIGNAL AS A CONTROL SIGNAL, MEANS FOR SELECTING THE LEVEL OF THE RECEIVED SIGNAL WHICH WILL INITIATE A CONTROL SIGNAL, AND MEANS FOR DERIVING A CONTROL TRIGGERING PULSE RESPONSIVE TO SAID SELECTING MEANS; AN INTERMEDIATE CIRCUIT FOR RECEIVING THE CONTROL TRIGGERING PULSE AND FORMING A SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL IN RESPONSE THERETO INCLUDING MEANS FOR DELAYING THE SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL FROM THE TRIGGERING PULSE, MEANS FOR BLANKING ANY CONTROL TRIGGERING PULSES OCCURRING WITHIN A PREDETERMINED TIME PERIOD, AND MEANS FOR VARYING THE DURATION OF THE SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL TO VARY THE LENGTH OF STROKE OF THE PUMP; AND AN OUTPUT CIRCUIT FOR RECEIVING SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL AND FOR ACTUATING THE PUMP IN RESPONSE THERETO.