Pumps capable of use as heart pumps

Abstract

The disclosure is of pumps which are capable of use as heart pumps, that is, for pumping blood in connection with the maintenance of the life function in a human or animal body to replace one or more pumping functions of the heart.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Pumping apparatus for use in pumping fluids susceptible to damage from turbulence and shock, comprising housing means having central fluid inlet means and peripheral fluid outlet means, rotator means disposed for rotation within said housing means and having surface means for accelerating fluid in substantially circular motion without said housing means as said fluid flows between said inlet means and said outlet means, means for sealing between said housing and rotator centrally about said inlet means and around the periphery of said rotator means, said inlet means including port means through said rotator means at the rotative axis thereof opening toward the periphery of said housing means, said surface means of said rotator means comprising plural parallel surfaces substantially each parallel to the planes of circular movement of said fluid passing through said housing means from said inlet means to said outlet means, said plural parallel surfaces being spaced at least one-fourth inch apart, said rotator means being adapted to rotate at a speed such that fluid passed thereto from said inlet means is caused to rotate circularly at substantially the speed of said rotator means, whereby turbulence and shock to said fluid in passing from said inlet means to said outlet means is avoided. 
     
     
       2. Pumping apparatus for use in pumping fluids susceptible to damage from turbulence and shock, comprising housing means having central fluid inlet means and peripheral fluid outlet means, rotator means disposed for rotation within said housing means and having surface means for accelerating fluid in substantially circular motion within said housing means as said fluid flows between said inlet means and said outlet means, means for sealing between said housing and rotator centrally about said inlet means and around the periphery of said rotator means, said inlet means including port means through said rotator means at the rotative axis thereof opening toward the periphery of said housing means, said surface means of said rotator means including at least one surface parallel to the planes of circular movement of said fluid passing through said housing means from said inlet means to said outlet means and at least one other surface angular to said one surface, said rotator means being adapted to rotate at a speed such that fluid passed thereto from said inlet means is caused to rotate circularly at substantially the speed of said rotator means, whereby turbulence and shock to said fluid in passing from said inlet means to said outlet means is avoided. 
     
     
       3. The combination of claim 2, each said other surface being curved between the center and periphery of said rotator means for elongating the paths of fluid flow therebetween. 
     
     
       4. The combination of claim 2, said surface means including at least one circular band shaped surface concentric with said rotator. .Iadd. 5. Blood pumping apparatus, comprising: a. housing means defining a chamber;   b. rotator means disposed for rotation within said chamber of said housing means and including at least two coaxial, spatially separated, smooth surfaced rotative vanes having axially spaced surfaces for accelerating blood introduced into the spatial separation between said vanes in a substantially circularly outward direction;   c. inlet means positioned within said housing means for introducing blood into the spatial separation between said rotative vanes generally along the rotative axis thereof;   d. outlet means positioned peripherally within said housing means for removing the outwardly accelerated blood;   e. means for rotating said rotative vanes at a speed such that the blood introduced into the spatial separation between said vanes is caused to rotate circularly at substantially the speed of said spatially separated vanes preventing turbulence and shock to the blood as the blood moves circularly outward between said inlet means and said outlet means; and   f. said rotative vanes being spaced apart a sufficient distance in relationship to the area of their surfaces in contact with the blood, said distance being on the order of one-fourth inch and greater, to minimize shear stresses imposed on the blood by frictional contact with the vane surfaces while maintaining a body of blood circulating within the chamber to provide a forced vortex radially increasing pressure gradient pumping action. .Iaddend..Iadd. 6. Pumping apparatus for use in pumping fluids susceptible to damage from turbulence and shock, comprising:   a. housing means defining a generally cylindrical chamber;   b. rotator means including at least two smooth surfaced circular accelerator vanes disposed for simultaneous rotation within said cylindrical chamber and positioned in a spatially separated relationship for accelerating fluid introduced into said spatial separation in an essentially circularly outward direction, at least one of said circular accelerator vanes defining a generally centrally positioned passageway therethrough, said surfaces being spaced at least one-fourth inch apart;   c. fluid inlet means positioned within said housing means for introducing fluid through said passageway in said accelerator vane into said spatial separation between said vanes generally along the rotative axis thereof;   d. fluid outlet means positioned peripherally within said housing means for removing the outwardly accelerated fluid from said cylindrical chamber; and   e. means for rotating said accelerator vanes at a speed such that the fluid introduced into said spatial separation between said vanes is caused to rotate circularly at substantially the speed of said vanes so as to prevent turbulence and shock to the fluid in passing circularly outward between said inlet means and said outlet means. .Iaddend.