DEVICES AND METHODS FOR DISPLACING BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS INCORPORATING STACKED DISC IMPELLER SYSTEMS

1 . A pump system for moving biological fluids comprising:

(a) a housing comprising a first interior chamber, a second interior chamber and a motor housing section;

(b) connections for connecting the first and second interior chambers to at least one body lumen of a patient;

(c) a drive assembly located within the motor housing section; and

(d) a first impeller assembly located within the first interior chamber and a second impeller assembly located within the second interior chamber, wherein each of the first and second impeller assemblies is driven by the drive assembly and comprises:

(i) a hub;

(ii) a stacked array of parallel discs fixedly connected to the hub, wherein each of the discs has a central aperture and an uninterrupted surface area, and wherein the discs are inter-spaced along a parallel axis to form spaces between the discs; and

(iii) a central cavity formed by the central apertures, the central cavity being devoid of a shaft, whereby, upon radial movement of the central hub, fluid is able to flow through the central apertures and through the spaces between the discs.

2 . The pump system of claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly comprises a magnetic drive system and wherein the hub in each of the first and second impeller assemblies is magnetic.

3 . The pump system of claim 2 , wherein each of the first and second impeller assemblies further comprises a driving magnet located distal to the hub.

4 . The pump system of claim 1 , wherein the motor housing is positioned between the first and second interior chambers.

5 . The pump system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second impeller assemblies further comprises a series of spacers, the spacers being fixedly connected to the discs and creating spaces between the discs.

6 . The pump system of claim 1 , wherein the hub and the stacked array of parallel discs are connected by a plurality of connecting elements.

7 . The pump system of claim 6 , wherein the connecting elements are connecting rods which are secured to the hub and pass through apertures provided in the discs.

8 . The pump system of claim 7 , wherein the first and second impeller assemblies rotate on the connecting rods.

9 . The pump system of claim 1 , wherein the housing is constructed of polycarbonate plastic.

10 . The pump system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second interior chambers is lined with a bio-compatible material that provides an anchoring surface for cells.

11 . The pump system of claim 10 , wherein the bio-compatible material is a condensation polymer formed from ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid.

12 . The pump system of claim 11 , wherein the bio-compatible material is Dacron®.

13 . The pump system of claim 1 , wherein the pump system is a heart pump system, and the connections connect the first and second interior chambers to the patient's cardiovascular system.

14 . A filtration device for filtering biological fluids, comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) a fluid inlet connected to a first body lumen of a patient;

(c) at least one filtering element formed from a semi-permeable membrane for receiving a biological fluid that enters the housing through the fluid inlet;

(d) an impeller assembly for applying pressure to the biological fluid, comprising:

(i) a hub;

(ii) a stacked array of parallel discs fixedly connected to the hub, wherein each of the discs has a central aperture and an uninterrupted surface area, and wherein the discs are inter-spaced along a parallel axis to form spaces between the discs; and

(iii) a central cavity formed by the central apertures, the central cavity being devoid of a shaft, whereby, upon radial movement of the central hub, fluid is able to flow through the central apertures and through the spaces between the discs;

(e) a motor for driving the impeller assembly; and

(f) a fluid outlet connected to a second body lumen of the patient through which the biological fluid exits the housing after passing through the filtering element,

whereby unwanted material is removed from the biological fluid as it passes through the filtering element.

15 . A method comprising:

(1) providing a pump system for moving biological fluids, the pump system comprising:

(a) a housing comprising a first interior chamber, a second interior chamber and a motor housing section, each of the first and second interior chambers being lined with a bio-compatible material that provides an anchoring surface for cells;

(b) connections for the first and second interior chambers to at least one body lumen of a patient;

(c) a drive assembly located within the motor housing section; and

(d) a first impeller assembly located within the first interior chamber and a second impeller assembly located with the second interior chamber, wherein each of the first and second impeller assemblies is driven by the drive assembly and comprises:

(i) a hub;

(ii) a stacked array of parallel discs fixedly connected to the hub, wherein each of the discs has a central aperture and an uninterrupted surface area, and wherein the discs are inter-spaced along a parallel axis to form spaces between the discs; and

(iii) a central cavity formed by the central apertures, the central cavity being devoid of a shaft, whereby, upon radial movement of the central hub, fluid is able to flow through the central apertures and through the spaces between the discs; and

(2) culturing the housing with cells for a period of time sufficient to deposit the cells on the lining of the first and second interior chambers.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising connecting the pump system to the at least one body lumen following deposition of cells on the lining of the first and second interior chambers.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the pump system is a heart pump system and the cells are vascular cells.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein step (2) comprises circulating media containing the cells through the housing.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the housing is subjected to an electrical charge of between 0.1 to 10 V during at least a portion of the period of time that the housing is cultured with the cells.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the bio-compatible material is a condensation polymer formed from ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid.

21 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the drive assembly comprises a magnetic drive system, the hub in each of the first and second impeller assemblies is magnetic, and each of the first and second impeller assemblies further comprises a driving magnet located distal to the magnetic hub.

22 . A pre-conditioned pump system prepared according to the method of claim 15 .

23 . The pre-conditioned pump system of claim 22 , wherein the drive assembly comprises a magnetic drive system, the hub in each of the first and second impeller assemblies is magnetic, and each of the first and second impeller assemblies further comprises a driving magnet located distal to the magnetic hub.

24 . A method comprising:

(a) providing an implantable device having an interior lined with a bio-compatible material that provides an anchoring surface for cells; and

(b) circulating media containing the cells through the housing for a period of time sufficient to deposit the cells on the lining.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the implantable device is subjected to an electrical charge of between 0.1 to 10 V during at least a portion of the period of time that the housing is cultured with the cells.