Axial flow-pump with multi-grooved rotor

摘要

An axial-flow blood pump for pumping blood includes a substantially cylindrical outer enclosure. A tubular housing concentric with and located within the outer enclosure has at one end an inlet and at an opposite end an outlet. A motor stator is concentric with and located between the outer enclosure and the tubular housing. An impeller is concentric with and located within the tubular housing. The impeller is suspended in operation by a combination of passive magnetic forces between magnets within the impeller or magnetized regions of the impeller and the motor stator and hydrodynamic thrust forces generated as blood flows between the tubular housing and a plurality of hydrodynamic thrust bearing surfaces located on the impeller. A volute may be in fluid-tight connection with the outlet of the tubular housing for receiving blood in the axial direction and directing blood in a direction normal to the axial direction. The volute has a flow-improving member extending axially from the volute and into and coaxially with the tubular housing.

主权项

1. An axial flow blood pump comprising:
a tubular pump housing having a housing inlet and a housing outlet; a rotor within said tubular pump housing having a rotational axis and an upstream end and a downstream end axially aligned with said upstream end between said housing inlet and housing outlet, said rotor being provided with a plurality of spaced apart grooves each extending from a respective axially directed fluid entry opening thereto at said upstream end to and including an enlarged axially directed fluid exit channel terminating at said downstream end, said grooves defining a plurality of peripheral land areas therebetween, each of said grooves being defined by sidewalls projecting substantially radially outwardly relative to the rotational axis of said rotor as boundaries for respective peripheral land areas, said sidewalls defining said axially directed fluid entry openings and diverging to define said axially directed fluid exit channels, said grooves having portions curved relative to said rotational axis to direct blood flow axially therein to enhance downstream fluid flow characteristics in an axial direction when said rotor is rotating; and said peripheral land areas being magnetically coupled to a motor stator to enable said rotor to be rotated in a predetermined direction.