US 11,911,602 B2
Method and apparatus for assisting a heart
Jonathan W. Valvano, Austin, TX (US); John Porterfield, Austin, TX (US); Clay Heighten, Dallas, TX (US); Anil Kottam, Cedar Park, TX (US); Marc David Feldman, San Antonio, TX (US); Aleksandra Borisovna Gruslova, San Antonio, TX (US); and Drew R. Nolen, San Antonio, TX (US)
Assigned to Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Austin, TX (US); and Cardio Vol, I.LC, Dallas, TX (US)
Filed by Jonathan W. Valvano, Austin, TX (US); John Porterfield, Austin, TX (US); Clay Heighten, Dallas, TX (US); Anil Kottam, Cedar Park, TX (US); Marc David Feldman, San Antonio, TX (US); Aleksandra Borisovna Gruslova, San Antonio, TX (US); and Drew R. Nolen, San Antonio, TX (US)
Filed on Apr. 22, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/238,181.
Prior Publication US 2022/0339425 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61M 60/515 (2021.01); A61M 60/237 (2021.01); A61M 60/531 (2021.01); A61M 60/867 (2021.01); A61M 60/13 (2021.01); A61M 60/816 (2021.01); A61M 60/165 (2021.01); G16H 40/63 (2018.01); G16H 20/30 (2018.01); G05B 19/04 (2006.01); A61M 60/523 (2021.01)
CPC A61M 60/515 (2021.01) [A61M 60/13 (2021.01); A61M 60/165 (2021.01); A61M 60/237 (2021.01); A61M 60/523 (2021.01); A61M 60/531 (2021.01); A61M 60/816 (2021.01); A61M 60/867 (2021.01); G05B 19/041 (2013.01); G16H 20/30 (2018.01); G16H 40/63 (2018.01); A61M 2205/3317 (2013.01); G05B 2219/25257 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for a heart of a patient comprising:
a cardiac assist device adapted to be implanted into the patient to assist the heart with pumping blood, the cardiac assist device has a shaft that is adapted to be positioned in the heart, the cardiac assist device includes a pump having a motor and an impeller disposed in the shaft which is driven by the motor to assist the heart with pumping blood, the pump draws blood from a left ventricle of the heart through an inlet port of the shaft and expels blood into an ascending aorta of the heart through an outlet port of the shaft, thereby reducing mechanical load on the heart and promoting recovery; and
a sensor adapted to be implanted into the patient, the sensor having a computer, the computer having a signal generator which produces a source signal, the sensor in communication with the cardiac assist device and the heart, the sensor adapted to monitor the heart with the source signal, the sensor includes electrodes directly attached to the cardiac assist device that are adapted to emit the source signal, and the electrodes are in direct contact with the shaft that is positioned in the heart, the computer performing data acquisition and analysis of the source signal, the signal generator in communication with the electrodes, the source signal includes electrical currents having a frequency, the computer measures corresponding voltages to make admittance-based measurements and analyzes the admittance-based measurements to make real-time admittance-based volume measurements of the heart, the sensor dynamically shifting the frequency of th electrical currents of the source signal to avoid noise in the patient from the pump during operation of the cardiac assist device while the cardiac assist device is implanted in the patient, the signal generator generates the electrical currents at the frequency, and a microcontroller clock or oscillator that is at a frequency at least 100x higher than the electrical currents at the frequency.