Method and apparatus for assisting a heart

1 . A method for assisting a heart of a patient comprising the steps of:

producing a source signal having electrical currents having a frequency by a sensor implanted in the patient, the sensor in communication with a cardiac assist device implanted into the patient to assist the heart with pumping blood and the heart, the cardiac assist device has a shaft that is adapted to be engaged with the heart, the cardiac assist device includes a motor and an impeller disposed in the shaft which is driven by the motor to assist the heart with pumping blood, thereby reducing mechanical load on the heart and promoting recovery, the sensor includes a computer for data acquisition and analysis of the source signal, the computer in communication with the electrodes, the computer produces the source signal which includes the electrical currents having the frequency and measures corresponding voltages to make measurements and analyze the measurements and noise from the motor associated with the measurements to make real-time volume measurements of the heart, the sensor dynamically shifting the frequency of the electrical currents of the source signal to avoid noise from the motor in the patient during operation of the cardiac assist device while the cardiac assist device is implanted in the patient;

monitoring the heart and noise from the motor in the patient by the sensor with the source signal; and

the sensor dynamically shifting the frequency of the electrical currents of the source signal in real time to avoid the noise from the motor in the patient during operation of the cardiac assist device while the cardiac assist device is implanted in the patient.

2 . The method of claim 1 including the steps of the pump drawing blood from a left ventricle of the heart through an inlet port of the shaft and expelling blood into an ascending aorta of the heart through an outlet port of the shaft.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the sensor includes electrodes in communication with the computer and including the step of emitting the source signal from the electrodes, the electrodes are in direct contact with the shaft that is positioned in the heart.

4 . The method of claim 3 including the step of the computer making admittance-based measurements from the source signal and analyzing the admittance based measurements and noise from the motor associated with the admittance-based measurements to make real-time admittance-based volume measurements of the heart.

5 . The method of claim 4 including the step of the computer making admittance-based measurements and analyzing the admittance-based measurements and noise from the motor associated with the admittance-based measurements to make real-time admittance-based volume measurements of the heart using a Fast-Fourier Transform in real time.

6 . An apparatus for a heart of a patient comprising:

a cardiac assist device adapted to be implanted into the patient to assist the heart with pumping blood, the cardiac assist device has a shaft that is adapted to be engaged with the heart, the cardiac assist device includes a pump having a motor and an impeller engaged with the shaft which is driven by the motor to assist the heart with pumping blood, thereby reducing mechanical load on the heart and promoting recovery; and

a sensor adapted to be implanted into the patient, the sensor having a computer, the computer produces a source signal, the sensor in communication with the cardiac assist device and the heart, the sensor adapted to monitor the heart with the source signal, the computer performing data acquisition and analysis of the source signal, the source signal includes electrical currents having a frequency, the computer measures corresponding voltages to make real-time volume measurements of the heart, the sensor dynamically shifting the frequency of the electrical currents of the source signal to avoid noise in the patient from the pump during operation of the cardiac assist device while the cardiac assist device is implanted in the patient, and a microcontroller clock or oscillator that is at a frequency at least 100× higher than the electrical currents at the frequency.

7 . A method for assisting a heart of a patient comprising the steps of:

producing a source signal having electrical currents having a frequency by a computer of a sensor implanted in the patient, the sensor in communication with a cardiac assist device implanted into the patient to assist the heart with pumping blood and the heart, the cardiac assist device has a shaft that is adapted to be engaged with the heart, the cardiac assist device includes a pump having a motor and an impeller engaged with the shaft which is driven by the motor to assist the heart with pumping blood, thereby reducing mechanical load on the heart and promoting recovery, the computer performing data acquisition and analysis of the source signal, the computer measures corresponding voltages to make measurements and analyze the measurements to make real-time volume measurements of the heart, the sensor dynamically shifting the frequency of the electrical currents of the source signal to avoid noise in the patient from the pump during operation of the cardiac assist device while the cardiac assist device is implanted in the patient, and a microcontroller clock or oscillator that is at the frequency at least 100× higher than the electrical currents at the frequency;

monitoring the heart by the sensor with the source signal; and

the sensor dynamically shifting the frequency of the electrical currents of the source signal in real time to avoid noise in the patient from the pump.