Orqis, the company who holds the license for the world's...

Orqis, the company who holds the license for the world's smallest heart pump, a 50gm ceramic pump, have pulled off a patenting coup.

VCR & other LVAD companies can freely utilise the method of attaching a heart pump to the left ventrical, or right ventrical in the case of an RVAD, because there is no patent covering this method.

Orqis, on the other hand, holds a patent that covers the method of pumping blood to the heart via all other arteries and veins. This method requires minimal surgery.

This particular patent, (Orqis hold 5 patents in this field), should prove to be extremely valueable.
Whilst heart pumps will continue to be developed into smaller and more efficient pumps, the method of attachment in the future is most likely to be via peripheal veins and arteries, a far less invasive method than heart surgery.

Here is an abstract of the patent:-


Implantable heart assist system and method of applying same.

Abstract
An extracardiac pumping for supplementing the circulation of blood, including the cardiac output, in a patient without any component thereof being connected to the patient's heart, and methods of using same. One embodiment of the intravascular extracardiac system comprises a pump with inflow and outflow conduits that are sized and configured to be implantable intravascularly through a non-primary vessel, whereby it may positioned where desired within the patient's vasculature. The system comprises a subcardiac pump that may be driven directly or electromagnetically from within or without the patient. The pump is configured to be operated continuously or in a pulsatile fashion, synchronous with the patient's heart, thereby potentially reducing the afterload of the heart. In another embodiment, the system is positioned extracorporeally, with the inflow conduit and outflow conduit applied percutaneously to a non-primary vessel for circulating blood to and from the non-primary vessel or between the non-primary vessel and another blood vessel within the patient's vasculature.

----------------------------------

The patent in its entirety can be viewed at the following address. It is well worth a read for anyone that has an interest in VCR or heart pumps in general.


http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6610004.WKU.&OS=PN/6610004&RS=PN/6610004#top





Seaking__________________linking