Molded VAD
Various blood pumps and methods of manufacture therefor are disclosed. An embodiment of a blood pump comprises a blood-flow lumen having an inlet and an outlet, and a rotor within the blood-flow lumen, the rotor having an impeller for pumping blood through the blood pump. A motor is also provided including a plurality of magnetic poles carried by the rotor, and a stator including a plurality of electrically conductive coils adjacent to and at least partially surrounding the blood-flow lumen. An over-molded monolithic enclosure covers the stator, the enclosure at least partially sealingly enclosing the stator and encasing the blood-flow lumen.
1. A blood pump comprising:
a pump housing having a chamber defining a blood-flow lumen with an inlet and an outlet;
a rotor within the blood-flow lumen of the chamber of the pump housing, the rotor having an impeller for pumping blood through the blood-flow lumen of the blood pump;
a motor including a plurality of magnetic poles carried by the rotor, and a stator including a plurality of electrically conductive coils adjacent to and at least partially surrounding the blood-flow lumen of the pump housing;
an over-molded monolithic enclosure covering the stator and encasing the blood-flow lumen, the enclosure and the pump housing cooperatively sealingly enclosing the stator.
2. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the enclosure directly contacts surfaces of the stator, thereby securing the stator relative to the enclosure.
3. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the enclosure includes an inlet passage fluidly connected with the inlet of the pump housing.
4. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pump housing is formed separately from the enclosure.
5. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pump housing and the enclosure are formed together monolithically.
6. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pump housing has an axis and end surfaces transverse to the axis, the end surfaces being separated by a first distance in the direction of the axis, and wherein the enclosure defines a pump housing chamber with end surfaces transverse to the axis that abut the end surfaces of the pump housing.
7. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the enclosure directly contacts the pump housing at various contact points, thereby securing the pump housing relative to the enclosure.
8. A blood pump as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a seal is established between the pump housing and the enclosure at the contact points, thereby sealingly enclosing the stator.
9. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the enclosure is composed of a biocompatible polymer.
10. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monolithic enclosure includes an upper volute portion and the outlet of the chamber communicates with the upper volute portion, and wherein the pump further comprises a lower volute portion engageable with the upper volute portion to form a volute.
11. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monolithic enclosure encapsulates portions of leads connected to the stator and operative to control the stator, the leads being wrapped around a portion of the pump housing.
12. A blood pump as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a sensor is embedded in a portion of the pump.
13. A blood pump as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the monolithic enclosure forms a unitary part with the pump housing and the stator.
14. A blood pump comprising:
a structure having a monolithic molded enclosure, the structure defining a blood-flow lumen having an inlet and an outlet;
a rotor within the blood-flow lumen, the rotor having an impeller for pumping blood through the blood pump;
a motor including a plurality of magnetic poles carried by the rotor, and a stator including a plurality of electrically conductive coils adjacent to and at least partially surrounding the blood-flow lumen,
wherein the molded monolithic enclosure covers the stator, the enclosure at least partially sealingly enclosing the stator and encasing the blood-flow lumen.
15. A blood pump as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the enclosure defines the blood-flow lumen.
16. A blood pump as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the structure includes a pump housing formed separately from the enclosure, the blood-flow lumen being at least partially defined by the pump housing.
17. A blood pump as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the enclosure directly contacts the pump housing at various contact points, thereby securing the pump housing relative to the enclosure, and a seal is established between the pump housing and the enclosure at the contact points.
18. A blood pump as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the pump housing is tubular, and the enclosure contacts upstream and downstream portions of the pump housing, but not a middle portion of the pump housing.
19. A blood pump as claimed in claim 18 , wherein an inner surface of the enclosure is spaced apart from the middle portion of the pump housing to define a stator chamber sized to receive the stator.