Percutaneous heart pump distal seal
The present application describes various features for a catheter pump that prevents or inhibits unwanted fluids from entering a cavity or opening of a catheter pump. If unwanted fluids enter a cavity or opening of the catheter pump, the examples described herein cause the unwanted fluid to be expelled from the catheter pump.
1 . A catheter pump system, comprising:
an impeller defining an open inner volume; and
one or more channels extending from an outer surface of the impeller to the inner volume, wherein movement of the impeller expels a radial flow of fluid through the one or more channels from the open inner volume.
2 . The catheter pump system of claim 1 , wherein the impeller comprises an impeller tip, wherein the catheter pump system further comprises a seal provided within the impeller tip.
3 . The catheter pump system of claim 2 , wherein the seal has a distal surface and the one or more channels create a low-pressure area at the distal surface of the seal.
4 . The catheter pump system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more channels acts as a centrifugal pump.
5 . The catheter pump system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more channels comprise one or more cross-holes.
6 . The catheter pump system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more grooves disposed on an impeller shaft of the impeller.
7 . The catheter pump system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more grooves are helically arranged on the impeller shaft of the impeller.
8 . The catheter pump system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more grooves move a fluid from a proximal location associated with the impeller shaft to a distal location associated with the impeller shaft.
9 . The catheter pump system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more grooves assist with the expulsion of a fluid from a gap between the impeller and a bearing housing of the catheter pump system.
10 . The catheter pump system of claim 1 , further comprising a surface feature provided on a proximal surface of the impeller.
11 . The catheter pump system of claim 10 , wherein the surface feature is a channel.
12 . The catheter pump system of claim 10 , wherein the surface feature acts as a centrifugal pump to expel a fluid from a gap between the impeller and a bearing housing of the catheter pump system.
13 . A catheter pump system, comprising:
an impeller defining an inner volume and a plurality of features, wherein each of the plurality of features defines a channel between the inner volume and a surface of the impeller; and
an impeller shaft coupled to the impeller, the impeller shaft comprising one or more fluid directing passages, wherein each of the one or more fluid directing passages and each of the plurality of features act to expel a fluid from the inner volume of the impeller in response to movement of the impeller.
14 . The catheter pump system of claim 13 , wherein movement of the impeller further creates a low-pressure region within the inner volume of the impeller.
15 . The catheter pump system of claim 14 , wherein movement of the impeller expels the fluid through the channel to the surface of the impeller.
16 . The catheter pump system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more fluid directing passages expels the fluid from a gap between the impeller and a bearing housing of the catheter pump system.
17 . The catheter pump system of claim 14 , further comprising a surface feature provided on a proximal surface of the impeller.
18 . The catheter pump system of claim 17 , wherein the surface feature acts as a centrifugal pump to expel a fluid from a gap between the impeller and a bearing housing of the catheter pump system.
19 . The catheter pump system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of channels define a slope from the inner volume to the surface portion of the impeller tip.
20 . A method, comprising:
causing a movement an impeller of a catheter pump system; and
in response to the movement of the impeller, expelling a fluid from an open inner volume defined by the impeller, wherein the fluid is expelled from the open inner volume via a plurality of channels, each of the plurality of channels defining a channel path that extends from the open inner volume to an outer surface of the impeller.
21 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising:
displacing fluid from a first portion of the catheter pump system using a surface feature provided on a proximal surface of the impeller; and
displacing fluid from a second portion of the catheter pump system using one or more fluid directing components defined by the impeller.
22 . The catheter pump system of claim 1 , wherein movement of the impeller further creates a low-pressure region within the inner volume of the impeller.