Rotary blood pump and control system therefor

Abstract

A pump assembly and estimation and control system therefor, the pump adapted for continuous flow pumping of blood. In a particular form, the pump is a centrifugal pump wherein the impeller is entirely sealed within the pump housing and is exclusively hydrodynamically suspended therein against movement in three translational and two rotational degrees of freedom as the impeller rotates within the fluid urged by electromagnetic means external to the pump cavity. Hydrodynamic suspension is assisted by the impeller having deformities therein such as blades with surfaces tapered from the leading edges to the trailing edges of bottom and top surfaces thereof.

1 . A rotary blood pump including an impeller to rotate in a housing, said impeller having a plurality of blades, each blade including a pressure face and an opposed suction face, wherein the curvature of said pressure face is greater than the curvature of said suction face.  
     
     
         2 . A rotary blood pump as claimed in  claim 1  wherein each blade has a general tear drop shape.  
     
     
         3 . A rotary blood pump as claimed in  claim 1  wherein each blade has a general shark fin shape.  
     
     
         4 . A rotary blood pump as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the blades include hydrodynamic bearings.