US 12,290,675 B2
Method and apparatus for assisting a heart
Marc David Feldman, San Antonio, TX (US); John Porterfield, Austin, TX (US); and Clay Heighten, Dallas, TX (US)
Assigned to Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Austin, TX (US); and Cardio Vol, LLC, Dallas, TX (US)
Filed by Marc David Feldman, San Antonio, TX (US); John Porterfield, Austin, TX (US); and Clay Heighten, Dallas, TX (US)
Filed on Aug. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/407,138.
Application 17/407,138 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/238,167, filed on Apr. 22, 2021, granted, now 11,918,799.
Prior Publication US 2022/0339426 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. A61M 60/00 (2021.01); A61M 60/113 (2021.01); A61M 60/13 (2021.01); A61M 60/139 (2021.01); A61M 60/295 (2021.01); A61M 60/38 (2021.01); A61M 60/497 (2021.01); A61M 60/515 (2021.01)
CPC A61M 60/515 (2021.01) [A61M 60/113 (2021.01); A61M 60/13 (2021.01); A61M 60/139 (2021.01); A61M 60/295 (2021.01); A61M 60/38 (2021.01); A61M 60/497 (2021.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for a heart of a patient comprising:
a first cardiac assist device adapted to assist the heart with pumping blood which increases load on the heart;
a second cardiac assist device adapted to be implanted into the patient to assist the heart with pumping blood which vents the heart simultaneously with the first cardiac assist device, the first cardiac assist device and the second cardiac assist device both tuned to maximize blood flow to the body of the patient, while resting the heart so the heart may recover function, the second cardiac assist device has a shaft that is adapted to be positioned in the heart, the second cardiac assist device includes 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 some mechanical load on the heart and promoting recovery; and
a sensor adapted to be implanted into the patient, the sensor in communication with the second cardiac assist device and the heart which measures native volume of the heart, the sensor includes electrodes directly attached to the second cardiac assist device that produce signals which are used to measure the native volume of the heart, and the electrodes are in direct contact with the shaft that is positioned in the heart, the sensor includes a computer for data acquisition and analysis of the signals, the computer in communication with the electrodes, the computer produces the signals which include electrical currents to the electrodes and measures corresponding voltages to make admittance-based measurements and analyze the admittance-based measurements to make real-time admittance-based volume measurements of the heart to determine the native cardiac output of the patient.