Blood pump algorithm for preventing and resolving left ventricular suction through dynamic speed response

1. A controller configured to control a pump speed of a blood pump, the controller comprising:

a processor configured to communicate with the blood pump, the processor having processing circuitry configured to:

determine a current flow value, wherein the current flow value represents a value of fluid flowing through the blood pump;

compare the current flow value to a predetermined flow threshold; and

reduce a pump speed of the blood pump to a reduced speed when the current flow value is below the predetermined flow threshold,

wherein the predetermined flow threshold corresponds to a second segment of a systole phase of a patient, the systole phase including a first segment during which a ventricular pressure is at its greatest and the second segment occurring after the first segment during which the ventricular pressure is at its lowest, the pump speed being reduced during the second segment.

2. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to reduce the pump speed to the reduced speed by at least reducing the pump speed from a standard set speed to the reduced speed, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to increase the pump speed from the reduced speed to the standard set speed when the current flow value is above the predetermined flow threshold, and wherein the current flow value being above the flow threshold is associated with the first segment of the systole phase.

3. The controller of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to automatically increase the pump speed from the reduced speed to the standard set speed when the current flow value crosses and exceeds the predetermined flow threshold, and wherein the current flow value exceeding the flow threshold is associated with a cardiac phase being within the first segment of the systole phase.

4. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to reduce the pump speed to the reduced speed by at least reducing the pump speed from a standard set speed to the reduced speed, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to alter the pump speed relative to the standard set speed in a presence of an adverse physical state.

5. The controller of claim 4 , wherein the adverse physical state is a suction condition.

6. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the second segment of the systole phase includes an end portion, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to reduce the pump speed from a standard set speed to the reduced speed during the end portion.

7. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to reduce the pump speed to the reduced speed by at least reducing the pump speed from a standard set speed to the reduced speed, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to increase the pump speed from the reduced speed to the standard set speed after a predetermined time interval.

8. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to reduce the pump speed to the reduced speed by at least reducing the pump speed from a standard set speed to the reduced speed, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a presence or an absence of an adverse physical state of the patient, and reduce the pump speed from the standard set speed to the reduced speed in the absence of the adverse physical state.

9. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to reduce the pump speed to the reduced speed by at least reducing the pump speed from a standard set speed to the reduced speed, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to periodically reduce the pump speed relative to the standard set speed during the second segment of the systole phase on a non-routine basis.

10. A control system for controlling a blood pump implanted in a patient, the blood pump including an impeller configured to rotate at a pump speed, the patient having a cardiac cycle including a cardiac phase having a first segment during which a ventricular pressure is at a maximum pressure and a second segment during which the ventricular pressure is a minimum pressure, and the control system comprising:

a control circuit including a processor in communication with the blood pump, the processor having processing circuitry configured to:

determine a current flow value, wherein the current flow value represents a value of fluid flowing through the blood pump;

compare the current flow value to a predetermined flow threshold; and

reduce the pump speed from a standard set speed associated with operation of the blood pump during the first segment of the cardiac phase to a reduced speed when the current value is below the predetermined flow threshold.

11. The control system of claim 10 , wherein the second segment of the cardiac phase includes an end portion, and the processing circuitry is configured to determine a timing of the end portion and reduce the pump speed from the standard set speed to the reduced speed during the end portion.

12. The control system of claim 11 , wherein the cardiac phase is a systole phase, and the processing circuitry is configured to periodically reduce the pump speed relative to the standard set speed during the end portion of the systole phase.

13. The control system of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

increase the pump speed from the reduced speed to the standard set speed when the current flow value is above the predetermined flow threshold.

14. The control system of claim 13 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to automatically increase the pump speed from the reduced speed to the standard set speed when the current flow value crosses and exceeds the predetermined flow threshold, and wherein the current flow value exceeding the flow threshold is associated with the cardiac phase being within the first segment of the cardiac phase.

15. The control system of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to increase the pump speed from the reduced speed to the standard set speed after a predetermined time interval.

16. The control circuit of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

determine a presence or an absence of an adverse physical state of the patient, and decrease the pump speed from the standard set speed to the reduced speed in the absence of the adverse physical state.

17. The control circuit of claim 16 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

alter the pump speed relative to the standard set speed in the presence of the adverse physical state, and the adverse physical state is a suction condition.

18. A control circuit for controlling a pump speed of a blood pump implanted in a patient, the patient having a cardiac cycle including a systole phase having an end portion during which a systolic pressure of the patient is at a maximum for the patient, the control circuit comprising:

a processor in communication with the implanted blood pump, the processor having processing circuitry configured to:

determine a standard set speed of the blood pump;

establish a predetermined flow threshold associated with a fluid flowing in the blood pump;

determine a current flow value, wherein the current flow value represents a value of the fluid flowing in the blood pump;

compare the current flow value to the predetermined flow threshold;

decrease the pump speed from the standard set speed to a reduced speed relative to the standard set speed during the end portion of the systole phase based on when the current flow value is below the predetermined flow threshold; and

increase the pump speed from the reduced speed to the standard set speed at the systole phase and based on one of the group consisting of a predetermined time interval and when the current flow value is above the predetermined flow threshold.