JP2016054748A - Artificial heart unit, artificial heart, and magnet unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To propose a new artificial heart.SOLUTION: An artificial heart 10 proposed here comprises: a casing 11; a thin film 16 stretched in the casing 11 to define pump chambers 11A and 11B; inflow pipes 12A and 12B connected to the pump chambers 11A and 11B; outflow pipes 14A and 14B connected to the pump chambers 11A and 11B; and a magnet 17. The inflow pipes 12A and 12B are provided with first check valves 13A and 13B, and the outflow pipes 14A and 14B are provided with second check valves 15A and 15B. The magnet 17 is arranged on a center portion of the thin film 16 in such a manner that the north pole or the south pole faces an inner wall of the pump chambers 11A and 11B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an artificial heart.

  The artificial heart is a device that performs the pump function of the heart. As such an artificial heart, a pulsating artificial heart provided with a diaphragm and an artificial heart using a non-pulsating pump provided with an axial flow type or centrifugal type pump have been proposed. A pulsatile artificial heart having a diaphragm has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-289631 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-204343 (Patent Document 2). In addition, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-72533 (Patent Document 3) proposes an artificial heart using a centrifugal pump.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-289631 JP 2006-204343 A JP 2011-72533 A

  In order for an artificial heart to send blood to the end of the body, considerable pressure is required to pump the blood. For this reason, the drive mechanism which drives expansion / contraction of a pump chamber also tends to become large. In addition, since the artificial heart is required to have long-term durability and stable driving, it is necessary to continuously and stably obtain energy consumed by the driving mechanism. With respect to such an artificial heart, it is difficult to secure power for continuing to drive the artificial heart embedded in the human body.

  The artificial heart unit proposed here includes a housing, a thin film stretched across the housing and defining a pump chamber, an inflow pipe connected to the pump chamber, an outflow pipe connected to the pump chamber, an inflow A first backflow prevention valve that is provided in the pipe and allows the liquid to flow from the inflow pipe to the pump chamber, but prevents the liquid from flowing from the pump chamber to the inflow pipe; A second backflow prevention valve that allows the liquid to flow from the chamber to the outflow pipe, but prevents the liquid from flowing from the outflow pipe to the pump chamber, and the N or S pole is directed to the inner wall of the pump chamber, And a magnet disposed in the center of the thin film.

  In the artificial heart unit, by applying a magnetic force to a magnet disposed on the thin film, the thin film moves, and the liquid can be drawn from the inflow pipe to the pump chamber, and the liquid can be sent from the pump chamber to the outflow pipe. In this case, even when the artificial heart unit is implanted in the human body, the thin film can be moved by applying a magnetic force from outside the body. For this reason, securing of power becomes easy.

  Here, the housing may be formed with two pump chambers with a thin film interposed therebetween. In this case, an inflow pipe, an outflow pipe, a first backflow prevention valve, and a second backflow prevention valve may be provided in each of the two pump chambers.

  Further, the artificial heart may include an artificial heart unit and a magnet unit that is arranged so as to face the thin film and applies a magnetic force so that N and S poles are alternately generated toward the thin film.

  In this case, in the magnet unit, a magnet arranged so that a magnetic pole is generated toward the thin film, an inversion mechanism for alternately inverting the N pole and the S pole of the magnet, and the N pole and the S pole of the magnet are determined in advance. And a control mechanism for operating the reversing mechanism so as to be reversed at a predetermined timing.

  Further, the magnet unit may include a coil arranged so that a magnetic pole is generated toward the thin film, a power source that supplies electricity to the coil, and a control device that changes the direction of the current supplied to the coil.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an artificial heart according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the artificial heart according to the embodiment of the present invention is operated. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the artificial heart according to the embodiment of the present invention is operated. FIG. 4 shows an artificial heart according to another embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an artificial heart according to another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an artificial heart according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member and site | part which show | plays the same effect | action also in different embodiment. Each drawing is a schematic diagram, and the dimensional relationship (length, width, thickness, etc.) in each drawing does not reflect the actual dimensional relationship.

<Artificial heart unit 10>
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an artificial heart 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The artificial heart 100 includes an artificial heart unit 10 and a magnet unit 30.

<Artificial heart unit 10>
The artificial heart unit 10 is a device attached to the body, and includes a housing 11, inflow pipes 12A and 12B, first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B, outflow pipes 14A and 14B, a second backflow prevention valve 15A, 15B, a thin film 16 and a magnet 17 are provided.

<< Case 11 >>
Here, the housing 11 is a member that forms a space in which a liquid (specifically, blood) flows, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the housing 11 is obtained by superimposing the openings 11a of two halved containers 111 and 112. Here, the volumes of the two containers 111 and 112 of the housing 11 are each preferably about 50 to 100 mL. A thin film 16 is stretched on the opening 11 a of the housing 11. Although illustration is omitted here, the opening 11a of the housing 11 is not a perfect circle, and may be, for example, an ellipse. The housing 11 may be molded from a material that is safe to enter the body and has a required rigidity.

  In this embodiment, the openings 11a of the two half-divided containers 111, 112 are overlapped with the thin film 16 stretched over the opening 11a of one of the two half-divided containers 111, 112. . The thin film 16 completely partitions the two half-shaped containers 111 and 112. Thus, two pump chambers 11A and 11B are formed in the housing 11 with the thin film 16 interposed therebetween. The two pump chambers 11A and 11B are provided with inflow pipes 12A and 12B, outflow pipes 14A and 14B, first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B, and second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B, respectively.

<< Inflow pipes 12A, 12B, Outflow pipes 14A, 14B >>
In this embodiment, an inlet 11b to which the inflow pipes 12A and 12B are attached and an outlet 11c to which the outflow pipes 14A and 14B are attached are formed on the side peripheral surfaces of the two containers 111 and 112 of the housing 11, respectively. ing. Here, the inflow pipe 12A of one pump chamber 11A is a pipe connected to the vena cava, and the outflow pipe 14A is a pipe connected to the pulmonary artery. The inflow pipe 12B of the other pump chamber 11B is a pipe connected to the pulmonary vein, and the outflow pipe 14B is a pipe connected to the aorta. For example, artificial blood vessels may be used for the inflow tubes 12A and 12B and the outflow tubes 14A and 14B.

<< First Backflow Prevention Valves 13A, 13B >>
The first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B are provided in the inflow pipes 12A and 12B. In this embodiment, the first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B are respectively provided at one end of the inflow pipes 12A and 12B, that is, at the inflow port 11b formed in the two pump chambers 11A and 11B. The first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B allow liquid to flow from the inflow pipes 12A and 12B to the pump chambers 11A and 11B, but prevent liquid from flowing from the pump chambers 11A and 11B to the inflow pipes 12A and 12B. Deter.

<< Second Backflow Prevention Valves 15A, 15B >>
The second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B are provided in the outflow pipes 14A and 14B. In this embodiment, the second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B are respectively provided at one end of the outflow pipes 14A and 14B, that is, at the outflow port 11c formed in the two pump chambers 11A and 11B. The second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B allow the liquid to flow from the pump chambers 11A and 11B to the outflow pipes 14A and 14B, but prevent the liquid from flowing back from the outflow pipes 14A and 14B to the pump chambers 11A and 11B. Deter.

  Here, the first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B and the second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B may not completely prevent the liquid from flowing back. It is better to have a function to prevent the backflow of liquid. For example, the first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B are configured so that, in one pulsation of the pump chambers 11A and 11B, about 5% to 25% of the liquid flowing into the pump chambers 11A and 11B from the inflow pipes 12A and 12B It may be a valve that flows backward from the chambers 11A, 11B to the inflow pipes 12A, 12B. Similarly, the second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B are configured so that about 5% to 25% of the liquid flowing out from the pump chambers 11A and 11B to the outflow pipes 14A and 14B in one pulsation of the pump chambers 11A and 11B, A valve that backflows from the outflow pipes 14A and 14B to the pump chambers 11A and 11B may be used. A known artificial valve (for example, manufactured by Nippon Lifeline Co., Ltd.) can be adopted as the first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B and the second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B.

<< thin film 16 >>
The thin film 16 is stretched over the casing 11 to partition the pump chambers 11A and 11B, and two pump chambers 11A and 11B are formed in the casing 11 with the thin film 16 interposed therebetween. As the thin film 16, it is preferable to use a film material that has required elasticity and is safe even if it is placed in the body. As such a film material, for example, a polyurethane film can be used. In this case, the thin film 16 may be set to an appropriate thickness so that the strength and elasticity required for pulsating the housing 11 can be obtained.

<Magnet 17>
The magnet 17 is disposed at the center of the thin film 16. Here, the magnet 17 may be a permanent magnet that exhibits a required magnetic force. The magnet 17 is directed so that one of the N pole and the S pole faces the inner wall of the housing 11 and the other faces the opposite side of the inner wall of the housing 11. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the magnet 17 has the south pole facing the side facing the inner wall of the housing 11 and the north pole facing the opposite side. In this embodiment, the magnet 17 is covered with the thin film 16 so as not to be exposed to the outside. Thereby, the magnet 17 does not contact the liquid in the pump chambers 11A and 11B.

<< Magnet unit 30 >>
Next, the magnet unit 30 will be described. Here, the magnet unit 30 is a device that is arranged so as to face the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10 and applies a magnetic force so as to alternately generate N and S poles toward the thin film 16.

  In this embodiment, the magnet unit 30 includes a magnet 41, a reversing mechanism 42, and a control mechanism 43.

  Here, the magnet 41 is a flat plate-shaped magnet having N pole on one side and S pole on the other side, and a rotating shaft 41a is provided at an intermediate part between the N pole and the S pole. In this embodiment, the magnet 41 is arranged so that a magnetic pole is generated toward the thin film 16, and the rotating shaft 41 a is rotatably supported by the housing 35 of the magnet unit 30.

  The reversing mechanism 42 is a mechanism that alternately reverses the N pole and S pole of the magnet 41. The control mechanism 43 is a mechanism that operates the reversing mechanism 42. Here, the control mechanism 43 operates the reversing mechanism 42 so that the N pole and the S pole of the magnet 41 are reversed at a predetermined timing. For example, the reversing mechanism 42 is a mechanism for attaching an electromagnetic motor to one end of the rotating shaft 41 a of the magnet 41 and operating the electromagnetic motor. The control mechanism 43 controls the electromagnetic motor so that the magnet 41 is intermittently reversed every predetermined time. A magnet (rotor) is attached to one end of the rotating shaft 41a, and a stator coil is attached around the magnet. Then, by controlling energization to the stator coil, a magnetic field may be generated in the coil so that the rotating shaft 41a (magnet 41) is rotated in a predetermined direction. In this case, the control mechanism 43 can be configured by a device that controls energization of the stator coil.

<Configuration of artificial heart 100>
The artificial heart unit 10 can be mounted in the body, for example, in the pericardium from which the heart has been excised. Then, the inflow pipe 12A of one pump chamber 11A may be connected to the vena cava, and the outflow pipe 14A may be connected to the pulmonary artery. Further, the inflow pipe 12B of the other pump chamber 11B may be connected to the pulmonary vein, and the outflow pipe 14B may be connected to the aorta.

  Moreover, the magnet unit 30 is attached to the outer side of the body (the outer side of the skin H) as shown in FIG. Here, the magnet 41 of the magnet unit 30 is attached so as to face the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10 disposed in the body, and the magnet 17 attached to the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10 disposed in the body. Apply magnetic force. Here, the magnet 17 attached to the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10 is arranged with the N pole facing the magnet 41 of the magnet unit 30.

<Operation of artificial heart 100>
FIG. 2 shows a state where the south pole of the magnet 41 of the magnet unit 30 faces the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10 in the body. In this case, the magnet 17 attached to the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10 is attracted to the magnet 41 of the magnet unit 30. At this time, one pump chamber 11A of the artificial heart unit 10 contracts. The blood in the pump chamber 11A flows out to the outflow pipe 14A by the action of the first backflow prevention valve 13A and the second backflow prevention valve 15A. Moreover, the other pump chamber 11B expands. Then, blood flows into the pump chamber 11B from the inflow pipe 12B by the action of the first backflow prevention valve 13B and the second backflow prevention valve 15B.

  FIG. 3 shows a state where the magnet 41 of the magnet unit 30 is reversed by the reversing mechanism 42 and the N pole of the magnet 41 faces the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10 in the body. In this case, the magnet 17 attached to the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10 repels against the magnet 41 of the magnet unit 30. At this time, one pump chamber 11A of the artificial heart unit 10 is expanded. Then, blood flows from the inflow pipe 12A into the pump chamber 11A by the action of the first backflow prevention valve 13A and the second backflow prevention valve 15A. The other pump chamber 11B contracts. Then, blood flows into the pump chamber 11B from the inflow pipe 12B by the action of the first backflow prevention valve 13B and the second backflow prevention valve 15B.

  As described above, the artificial heart unit 10 proposed here is connected to the casing 11, the thin film 16 that spans the casing 11, and partitions the pump chambers 11A and 11B, and the pump chambers 11A and 11B. Inflow pipes 12A and 12B, outflow pipes 14A and 14B connected to the pump chambers 11A and 11B, and a magnet 17 are provided. Here, the inflow pipes 12A and 12B are provided with first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B, and the outflow pipes 14A and 14B are provided with second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B. The magnet 17 is disposed at the center of the thin film 16 with the north or south pole facing the inner walls of the pump chambers 11A and 11B. The first backflow prevention valves 13A and 13B are provided in the inflow pipes 12A and 12B, and allow liquid to flow from the inflow pipes 12A and 12B to the pump chambers 11A and 11B, but from the pump chambers 11A and 11B to the inflow pipe 12A. , 12B to prevent the liquid from flowing out. The second backflow prevention valves 15A and 15B are provided in the outflow pipes 14A and 14B, and allow the liquid to flow from the pump chambers 11A and 11B to the outflow pipes 14A and 14B. The liquid is prevented from flowing into the chambers 11A and 11B.

  The artificial heart unit 10 can be driven by the magnet unit 30 disposed outside the body even when disposed in the body. Therefore, the artificial heart unit 10 can be continuously driven by continuously driving the magnet unit 30 appropriately. Further, since the artificial heart unit 10 can obtain a driving force from outside the body, it is easy to secure a power source.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the housing 11 may be formed with two pump chambers 11 </ b> A and 11 </ b> B with the thin film 16 interposed therebetween. In this case, the artificial heart unit 10 can connect the vena cava, the pulmonary artery, the pulmonary vein, and the aorta to the pump chambers 11A and 11B, and can be replaced with a human heart. In addition, the artificial heart unit 10 can be used as an auxiliary artificial heart that assists the heart with respect to a patient whose force with which the heart pumps blood is weak.

  The magnet unit 30 may be a device that is arranged so as to face the thin film 16 and applies a magnetic force so as to alternately generate N and S poles toward the thin film 16. Here, in the magnet unit 30, as shown in FIG. 1, the magnet 41, the reversing mechanism 42 that alternately reverses the N pole and the S pole of the magnet 41, and the N pole and the S pole of the magnet 41 are determined in advance. It is preferable to provide a control mechanism 43 that operates the reversing mechanism 42 so that the reversing mechanism 42 is reversed. In this case, since the structure is such that the magnet 41 is reversed, the structure is simple, it is difficult to be crushed, and high reliability can be secured.

  The magnet unit 30 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the magnet unit 30 </ b> A includes a coil 51 arranged so that a magnetic pole is generated toward the thin film 16, a power supply 52 that supplies electricity to the coil 51, and a current supplied to the coil 51. You may provide the control apparatus 53 which changes direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the magnetic force can be applied so as to alternately generate the north and south poles toward the thin film 16 of the artificial heart unit 10, and the artificial heart unit 10 can be driven.

  The artificial heart 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

  FIG. 5 shows an artificial heart 100B according to another embodiment. In the artificial heart unit 10B of the artificial heart 100B, as shown in FIG. 5, a thin film 16 is stretched on the opening of the casing 11, and one pump chamber 11A is provided. In this case, the pump chamber 11A is provided with an inlet 11b to which the inlet pipe 12 is attached and an outlet 11c to which the outlet pipe 14 is attached, the first backflow prevention valve 13 is attached to the inlet pipe 12, and the second backflow is attached to the outlet pipe 14. A prevention valve 15 may be attached.

  In this case, the magnetic poles of the magnets 17 attached to the thin film 16 may be disposed toward the magnets 41 of the magnet unit 30. In this case, by reversing the magnet 41 of the magnet unit 30, the pump chamber 11A of the artificial heart unit 10 in the body can be contracted or expanded, and blood can be sent out. The artificial heart unit 10B having a single pump chamber 11A can be used as an auxiliary artificial heart that assists the heart, for example, for a patient whose heart is weak in pumping blood.

10, 10B Artificial heart unit 11 Housing 11A, 11B Pump chamber 11a Opening 11b Inlet 11c Outlet 12, 12A, 12B Inlet pipes 13, 13A, 13B First backflow prevention valves 14, 14A, 14B Outlet pipes 15, 15A, 15B Second backflow prevention valve 16 Thin film 17 Magnet 30, 30A Magnet unit 35 Housing 41 Magnet 41a Rotating shaft 42 Reversing mechanism 43 Control mechanism 51 Coil 52 Power supply 53 Controller 100, 100B Artificial heart 111, 112 Container H Skin

Claims (6)

A housing,
A thin film stretched across the housing and defining the pump chamber;
An inflow pipe connected to the pump chamber;
An outflow pipe connected to the pump chamber;
A first backflow prevention valve that is provided in the inflow pipe and allows the liquid to flow from the inflow pipe into the pump chamber, but inhibits the liquid from flowing out from the pump chamber to the inflow pipe;
A second backflow prevention valve that is provided in the outflow pipe and allows the liquid to flow out from the pump chamber to the outflow pipe, but inhibits the liquid from flowing into the pump chamber from the outflow pipe;
A magnet disposed at the center of the thin film with the north or south pole facing the inner wall of the pump chamber,
Artificial heart unit. The casing is formed with two pump chambers across the thin film,
The artificial heart unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the two pump chambers is provided with the inflow pipe, the outflow pipe, the first backflow prevention valve, and the second backflow prevention valve. An artificial heart unit according to claim 1 or 2,
A magnet unit that is disposed so as to face the thin film, and that exerts a magnetic force so as to alternately generate a north pole and a south pole toward the thin film,
Artificial heart. The magnet unit is
A magnet arranged to generate a magnetic pole toward the thin film;
A reversing mechanism for alternately reversing the N and S poles of the magnet;
The artificial heart according to claim 3, further comprising: a control mechanism that operates the reversing mechanism so that the N pole and S pole of the magnet are reversed at a predetermined timing. The magnet unit is
A coil arranged to generate a magnetic pole toward the thin film;
A power source for energizing the coil;
The artificial heart according to claim 3, further comprising a control device that changes a direction of a current supplied to the coil. A magnet,
A reversing mechanism for alternately reversing the N and S poles of the magnet;
A magnet unit comprising: a control mechanism for operating the reversing mechanism so that the N pole and S pole of the magnet are reversed at a predetermined timing.

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