Intravascular fluid pump having a longitudinally elastically stretchable rotor
To design the rotor as compressible in the radial direction in a fluid pump, in particular for microinvasive medical use, said rotor is configured as stretchable in its longitudinal direction by push elements and pull elements acting axially on it.
1 . An intravascular fluid pump comprising:
a rotor that is rotatable about a longitudinal axis,
wherein the rotor is at least partially formed from an elastically compressible and expandable material,
wherein the rotor is elastically stretchable along the longitudinal axis from a non-stretched state to a stretched state,
wherein the rotor comprises at least one impeller blade that is longitudinally stretched when the rotor is longitudinally stretched,
wherein the at least one impeller blade has a reinforcement structure that is kinked when the rotor is in the non-stretched state and is longitudinally stretched when the rotor is longitudinally stretched such that the reinforcement structure is not kinked when the rotor is in the stretched state.
2 . The fluid pump of claim 1 , wherein the rotor is elastically stretchable along the longitudinal axis between a first element coupled to a distal end of the rotor and a second element coupled to a proximal end of the rotor.
3 . The fluid pump of claim 2 , wherein the first element is a distal bearing.
4 . The fluid pump of claim 3 , wherein the second element is a drive shaft.
5 . The fluid pump of claim 4 , wherein the first element and the second element are configured to elastically stretch the rotor by applying force in mutually opposite directions at different ends of the rotor.
6 . The fluid pump of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the rotor decreases when a length of the rotor along the longitudinal axis increases.
7 . The fluid pump of claim 1 , wherein the rotor comprises a hub extending along the longitudinal axis, and wherein the at least one impeller blade is coupled to the hub over at least a part of a length of the hub, wherein the hub is stretched along the longitudinal axis when the rotor is longitudinally stretched.
8 . The fluid pump of claim 7 , wherein the at least one impeller blade and the hub are compressed when the rotor is longitudinally stretched.
9 . The fluid pump of claim 7 , further comprising a pump housing surrounding the rotor.
10 . The fluid pump of claim 9 , wherein the rotor is elastically stretchable along the longitudinal axis between a first element coupled to a distal end of the rotor and a second element coupled to a proximal end of the rotor, wherein the first element is coupled to the rotor via the pump housing.
11 . The fluid pump of claim 10 , wherein the pump housing is stretchable along the longitudinal axis.
12 . The fluid pump of claim 11 , wherein the at least one impeller blade is configured to expand to an operational state under fluid counter pressure.
13 . The fluid pump of claim 12 , wherein the pump housing is sized to accommodate the rotation of the rotor in the operational state when the pump housing is not stretched along the longitudinal axis.
14 . The fluid pump of claim 9 , further comprising a hollow tube configured to compress the rotor when the rotor is pulled into the hollow tube.
15 . The fluid pump of claim 14 , wherein the hollow tube further comprises an inflow funnel.
16 . The fluid pump of claim 15 , wherein the inflow funnel is configured to radially compress the pump housing.
17 . The fluid pump of claim 1 , wherein the rotor at least partly loses its shape stability due to longitudinal stretching.
18 . The fluid pump of claim 1 , wherein the rotor is formed at least in part from an elastomer.
19 . The fluid pump of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement structure is disposed in an interior of the at least one impeller blade.
20 . The fluid pump of claim 1 , wherein, when the rotor is in the non-stretched state, the reinforcement structure has a saw-toothed shape in a cross-section of the reinforcement structure.