Impedance Pump Used in Bypass Grafts

Abstract

A pump installed inside a graft in a body such as the human body to force fluid such as blood through that graft. The pump can be one which operates totally from the outside of the graft, forcing fluid through the graft without extending inside the graft. The pump can be an impedance pump, that operates based on the fluidic mismatches between the graft, and other fluid carrying vessels within the human body.

1 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A graft for a body, comprising: 
       a section of conduit, having a first and a second end, adapted to be attached to first and second sections of a blood carrying vessel within the body, to be bypassed;
 an actuator, attached to said section of conduit, and operating to compress an area of said section of conduit periodically, and in a way that produces fluid flow along said section of conduit at a specified rate, but has no sections extending inside said section of conduit. 
 
     
     
         8 . A graft as in  claim 7 , wherein said graft bypasses a blood carrying vessel. 
     
     
         9 . A graft as in  claim 7 , wherein said graft replaces a blood carrying vessel. 
     
     
         10 . A graft as in  claim 7 , wherein said actuator is one of piezo electric, ferroelectric, or electrostatic, and causes pinching of an outer wall of said graft. 
     
     
         11 . A graft as in  claim 7 , wherein said graft is in a human body. 
     
     
         12 . A method, comprising: installing a graft in a body; and
 pumping fluid through the graft without using any parts that extend inside the graft.   
     
     
         13 . A method as in  claim 11 , wherein said pumping comprises pumping based on a fluidic impedance mismatch between the graft and other conduits in the body. 
     
     
         14 . A method as in  claim 13 , wherein said graft is used within a human body. 
     
     
         15 . A method as in  claim 13 , wherein said pumping comprises compressing an area of the graft periodically in a way that periodically increases the pressure in the graft, by a different amount and pressure increase than said other conduits. 
     
     
         16 . A method as in  claim 15 , further comprising using an electronically-controlled controller to monitor the periodic pressure increase. 
     
     
         17 . A method as in  claim 16 , further comprising controlling said controller wirelessly from outside the body. 
     
     
         18 . A method as in  claim 12 , further comprising using said graft to bypass a blood carrying vessel in a human body. 
     
     
         19 . A method as in  claim 12 , further comprising using said graft to replace a blood carrying vessel in a human body.