Methods of operating a rotary blood pump

摘要

Various “contactless” bearing mechanisms including hydrodynamic, hydrostatic, and magnetic bearings are provided for a rotary pump as alternatives to mechanical contact bearings. These design features may be combined. In one embodiment, the pump apparatus includes a rotor having a bore, a ring-shaped upper rotor bearing magnet, and a ring-shaped lower rotor bearing magnet. The bearing magnets are concentric with the bore. The lack of mechanical contact bearings enables longer life pump operation and less damage to working fluids such as blood.

主权项

1. A method of suspending a rotor in a fluid pump during pumping comprising:
disposing a rotor in a housing having a center-post for rotation around said center-post; magnetically biasing said rotor axially in a first direction; providing an axial stabilizing force to said rotor with an axial magnetic bearing comprising a combination of at least one ring-shaped center-post magnet and at least one ring-shaped rotor magnet; causing said rotor to rotate and thereby pump fluid; inducing hydrodynamic forces on said rotor in opposition to said magnetic biasing of said rotor; and balancing said biasing and said hydrodynamic forces so as to suspend said rotor in said housing assembly during rotation of said rotor.