| CPC A61M 60/196 (2021.01) [A61M 60/476 (2021.01)] | 5 Claims |
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1. A total artificial heart (TAH) system comprising:
at least one artificial ventricle configured to be coupled to at least one of a pulmonary artery, a vessel of a heart, and a chamber of a heart;
at least one drive system that comprises at least one electric motor that is coupled to the at least one artificial ventricle and that is configured to cause a volume of the at least one artificial ventricle to contract and expand;
and
at least one power supply electrically coupled to the at least one electric motor, wherein the at least one artificial ventricle and the at least one drive system are configured to be implanted in the chest cavity of a patient;
wherein the at least one drive system comprises:
a stator assembly;
a rotorcam mechanically and electrically coupled to the stator assembly; and
a cam follower mechanically coupled to both the stator assembly and the rotorcam, and
wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:
(1A) the TAH system comprises at least one spring coupling the cam follower to the stator assembly and, when the stator assembly comprises a housing with a shaped cross-section:
the cam follower comprises a shaft with a shaped cross-section matching the shaped cross-section of the housing,
each of the shaped cross-section of the housing and the shaped cross-section of the shaft comprises at least one of a triangular cross-section, a square cross-section, an elliptical cross-section, a pentagonal cross-section, a hexagonal cross-section, and a rectangular cross-section, and
the shaft is disposed within the housing;
(1B) the rotorcam comprises:
a center bore that is concentric about a centerline of the rotorcam; and
a ramp radially disposed around the center bore and including at least one of a drop-off, an inclined portion, and, when the ramp includes both the drop-off and the inclined portion, the ramp further includes a flat portion disposed between the inclined portion and the drop-off; and/or
the cam follower comprises at least one tooth extending toward the rotorcam and interfacing with at least one portion of the ramp;
(1C) the rotorcam comprises at least one of neodymium iron boron (Nd—Fe—B), iron, cobalt, samarium cobalt (Sm—Co), aluminum, alnico, bonded Nd—Fe—B, magnetite, ceramic (hard ferrite), ferrite, gadolinium, one or more rare earth elements, strontium, barium, and iron (III) oxide;
(1D) the TAH system further comprises at least one proximity sensor that is disposed within at least one of the stator assembly and the cam follower and that is configured to detect a relative position of the cam follower with respect to the stator assembly;
(1E) the TAH system further comprises at least one pressure sensor disposed on at least one of the stator assembly and the rotorcam;
(1F) the rotorcam comprises a center bore of the rotorcam, wherein the stator assembly comprises a cylindrical housing, and wherein the cylindrical housing is disposed within the center bore of the rotorcam such that rotorcam extends circumferentially around, and radially outward of, the cylindrical housing;
and
(1G) the stator assembly comprises a cylindrical housing of the stator assembly, wherein the rotorcam is disposed about the cylindrical housing of the stator assembly, and wherein the system is configured to cause a change in a height of the cam follower with rotation of the rotorcam about the cylindrical housing of the stator assembly, wherein, when the cam follower is coupled to the at least one artificial ventricle, the change in the height of the cam follower causes contraction or expansion of the volume of the at least one artificial ventricle.
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