LEFT-RIGHT FLOW CONTROL IN A TWO CHAMBER CARDIAC PROSTHESIS

摘要

A biventricular cardiac prosthesis has a flow balance control system to balance blood flow through the left and right sides of the prosthesis to maintain a patient's left atrial pressure within physiologic bounds. The prosthesis can be configured to have flow characteristics so that a signal representative of the difference in hydraulic pumping pressures on the left and right sides of the prosthesis is representative of the difference between left and right atrial pressures of a patient having the prosthesis implanted. This signal can be used as a control signal to drive the prosthesis so that left atrial pressure is approximately equal to right atrial pressure, and within physiologic bounds. A specific prosthesis includes left and right pumping sections, each having a blood pumping chamber and a hydraulic fluid chamber, with a reciprocating hydraulic pump driving systole alternately on the right and left sides. A hydraulic balance chamber is hydraulically coupled to the right hydraulic fluid chamber and an adjustable occluder varies flow resistance through the hydraulic coupling. The occluder can be adjusted based on the control signal to adjustably derate right side blood flow to achieve the desired pressure balance, or the occluder can be adjusted based on fluid communication with sources of pressure in the prosthesis that are representative of right and left atrial pressures.