INTRAVASCULAR BLOOD PUMPS AND EXPANDABLE SCAFFOLDS WITH STIFFENING MEMBERS
Catheter blood pumps that include an expandable blood conduit and at least one impeller. Tension members extending from the blood conduit are associated with increasing a stiffness of an impeller region housing the impeller, thereby increasing the impeller region's resistance to deflection, and maintaining clearance for the impeller. In some cases, a tension control element is used to control a degree of tension placed on the tension members. The tension control element may be used to increase or decrease the stiffness of the impeller region and/or modulate the size of a blood inlet or outlet of the blood conduit.
1 . An intravascular blood pump, comprising:
a collapsible blood conduit having an inner lumen for passing blood therethrough, wherein a proximal portion of the blood conduit includes an impeller region configured to accommodate at least a portion of an impeller therein; and
a plurality of struts and one or more tension members extending proximally from the blood conduit and radially inward toward a shaft, wherein the plurality of struts are proximally coupled to the shaft at a first axial region along the shaft, and the one or more tension members is proximally coupled to the shaft at a second axial region along the shaft, wherein first axial region is at a different axial position along the shaft than the second axial region.
2 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of struts and one or more tension members are configured to provide the impeller region resistance to lateral deflection.
3 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the second axial region extends further proximally along the shaft relative to the first axial region.
4 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the first axial region extends further proximally along the shaft relative to the second axial region.
5 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the one or more tension members is radially outside of the plurality of struts.
6 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the blood conduit includes an expandable scaffold comprising a pattern of axially and radially extending elements.
7 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 6 , wherein the blood conduit includes a membrane that covers the expandable scaffold.
8 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tension members is fixedly coupled to the shaft at the second axial region.
9 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tension members is coupled to the shaft by a tension control element that is configured to move axially relative to the shaft, wherein axial movement of the tension control element adjusts an amount of tension placed on the one or more tension members and an amount of lateral stiffness imparted to the impeller region of the blood conduit.
10 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 9 , wherein the tension control element includes a locking feature configured to lock an axial position of the tension control element relative to the shaft.
11 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tension members includes a plurality of tension members.
12 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of tension members are equally radially distributed around a proximal end of the blood conduit.
13 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of tension members are equally radially distributed the shaft.
14 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of struts are equally radially distributed around a proximal end of the blood conduit.
15 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of struts are equally radially distributed around the shaft.
16 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of struts are coupled to a hub of the shaft.
17 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tension members is coupled to a hub of the shaft.
18 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of struts are coupled at the same axial position along the shaft.
19 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of struts are coupled along at different axial positions along the shaft.
20 . The intravascular blood pump of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tension members includes a plurality of tension members, wherein the plurality of tension members are coupled at the same axial position along the shaft.
21 .- 84 . (canceled)