in the drawings , like numerals designate like parts throughout the drawings . in fig1 a temporary heart - assist system 7 is illustrated in use with a human heart . the heart - assist system 7 includes an occluding device , or balloon , 8 in the patient &# 39 ; s aorta , connected to a controller 9 , which in turn connects to an extracorporeal aortic bypass blood pump 10 . the occluding device 8 can be any device that can be remotely opened and closed , either partially or fully , but in the preferred embodiment is a balloon . u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 894 , 273 and 6 , 137 , 416 disclose a limited - use controller that does not control an intra - aortic valve , such as the balloon 8 . such a controller could be used to control the aortic bypass blood pump 10 . the deflated balloon 8 is mounted on the end of a flexible catheter 11 . the balloon 8 and catheter 11 are inserted into the aorta via a peripheral artery , preferably at a point 12 on the femoral artery . the catheter 11 may be inserted percutaneously over a guide wire or surgically by direct exposure of the vessel . the balloon 8 is positioned in the descending thoracic aorta at approximately the level of the diaphragm . more specifically , the balloon 8 is placed above the diaphragm , but below the subclavian artery . referring now to fig2 the aortic blood pressure aop is recorded with two pressure transducers , or sensors 13 on the balloon 8 . the pressure transducers 13 are conventional transducers , such as model number bp01 , manufactured by the invensys company located in milpitas , calif . the controller 9 allows sustained flow to pump and reads upper and lower pressure for pump adjustments from the balloon sensors 13 . the balloon sensors 13 monitor pressure , and when pressure goes up then pump flow increases , and vice versa . the principle of the balloon 8 is to equalize pressure during systole , and to auto - regulate the flow rate of the pump 10 , based on the pressure sensed by the pressure sensors 13 on either side of the balloon 8 . the balloon 8 inflates as the aortic valve opens and deflates upon closure . if timed properly , there should be no period in which the aortic valve is closed and the balloon 8 inflated . in an alternate embodiment , only one sensor 13 is used . the catheter 11 has duel lumens . a larger lumen 14 is used to shuttle gas to and from the balloon 8 via openings or ports 15 located on a catheter wall . a smaller lumen 16 runs continuously through the body of the catheter 11 . the smaller lumen 16 is used for inserting the catheter 11 over an aortic guide wire and as a pressure transmission tube for the continuous measurement of central aortic pressure aop proximal to the balloon 8 during operation of the heart - assist system 10 . the balloon 8 and catheter 11 are made of biocompatible polymeric materials . the balloon 8 and catheter 11 are flexible and nontraumatic to the aorta , but have a wall thickness and strength sufficient to withstand cyclic rapid balloon inflation and deflation . the pressure transducers 13 connect to the pressure transmission tube lumen 16 . the lumen 16 couples to a cable 18 that connects to the controller 9 . the balloon 8 is inflated and deflated by gas pressure , preferably using helium gas , supplied through a pneumatic tube 20 attached to the large lumen 14 . the tube 20 connects to the controller 9 . the balloon 8 deflates when depressurized with gas , and inflates when pressurized with gas , thereby partially or fully occluding the aorta . to avoid stagnation of the blood and vessel trauma , the balloon 8 does not need to completely occlude the descending aorta ; it may leave some space on either side . referring now to fig3 a , the left ventricle 22 of the heart is shown in systole with ejection of blood ( long arrow ) through the opened aortic outflow valve 24 into the ascending aorta 26 . an inlet cannula 38 for the pump 10 is inserted into the aorta at a point 40 proximal to the balloon 8 , using conventional surgical techniques . the point 40 may be in the ascending aorta 26 , for patients who have an open chest , or may be in a branch vessel , preferably the subclavian artery , for patients whose chest is not open , or at any point between . referring now to fig3 b , in an alternate embodiment , the length of the inlet cannula 38 extends with its tip positioned through the aortic valve 24 into the left ventricle 22 . holes 39 along the length of the inlet cannula 38 in the aorta , combined with a hole 39 in the tip of the cannula 38 , provide direct unloading of the left ventricle 22 , plus afterload reduction in the aorta . the lumen of the inlet cannula 38 is of sufficient size and capacity to allow flow rates ( see arrow ) up to 7 liters per minute , with minimal pressure drop and blood destruction hemolysis . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 007 , 478 discloses a cannula having constant wall thickness with increasing distal flexibility . the full disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by this reference . the inlet cannula 38 is brought out of the patient and connected to the pump 10 . the pump 10 is a commercially available non - pulsatile blood pump . artificial heart pumps can be classified into the diaphragm type , the tube type , the roller pressure type , and the radial flow type that operates by rotational motion . typical of the radial flow type is the centrifugal type . the following u . s . patents disclose centrifugal heart pumps : 5 , 894 , 273 centrifugal blood pump driver apparatus 6 , 015 , 434 artificial heart pump 6 , 137 , 416 method of controlling centrifugal pump 6 , 227 , 817 magnetically - suspended centrifugal blood pump the full disclosures of these patents are all incorporated herein by this reference . the pump 10 may be any radial pump , but in the preferred embodiment the pump 10 is a centrifugal pump . a drive motor 42 powers the pump 10 via a magnetic coupling 44 located between the drive motor 42 and the pump 10 . the pump 10 has the capacity to pump up to 7 liters per minute of blood without increased hemolysis or thrombosis clot formation . pump flow rate is continuously measured using a conventional flow transducer 45 connected to the controller 9 . the transducer 45 may be of the ultrasonic or electromagnetic type , but in the preferred embodiment is an ultrasonic model , made by transonic systems , inc ., located in ithaca , n . y . blood returns to the patient via an outlet cannula 46 inserted in an infra - diaphragmatic artery at a point 48 far from the balloon 8 , using conventional surgical techniques . preferably , the point 48 is in the femoral artery . the lumen of the outlet cannula 46 is of sufficient size and capacity to allow flow rates up to 7 liters per minute , with minimal pressure drop and hemolysis . an electrocardiogram (“ ecg ”) is recorded via electrodes 50 placed on the skin of the patient . the electrodes couple to cables 52 that connect to the controller 9 . the pump drive motor 42 couples to the controller 9 via a cable 62 . the purpose of the pump 10 is to pump blood from the upper arterial compartment 14 to the lower arterial compartment . during ventricular systole , and using . the ecg and aortic pressure - triggered controller 9 , the small - volume balloon 8 is rapidly inflated , partially occluding the aorta . in the preferred embodiment , the flow rate of the pump 10 is regulated to obtain a specific end - systolic aop in the upper arterial compartment ( aorta 26 ). however , in an alternate embodiment , the pump runs continuously at a set speed . a deceased end - systolic aortic pressure afterload results in an increase in cardiac output blood flow . decreased afterload also reduces the workload and oxygen consumption of the failing heart . increased systemic blood flow also elevates perfusion pressure in the lower arterial compartment . during ventricular diastole , the balloon 8 rapidly deflates , thereby increasing the perfusion pressure throughout the arterial compartment 26 . the pump flow rate can also be slowed during diastole by coasting or braking the motor 42 , thereby reducing the potential for blood trauma hemolysis . decreasing pump flow may be obtained by coasting or braking the speed of the centrifugal pump motor . in an alternate embodiment , the pump 10 runs continuously at a set speed . referring now to fig4 the y - axis shows ventricular pressure 0 - 120 mmhg , and the x - axis shows ventricular volume 0 - 210 ml . an example of the pressure - volume relationship is shown for the normal n heart . starting at the ventricular end - diastolic volume edv for the normal heart n , the loop moves in a counter - clockwise direction . first the ventricle contracts and generates pressure sufficient to open the aortic valve avo . the ventricle ejects blood into the aorta and the ventricular volume decreases . the ventricular stoke volume for each cardiac cycle is calculated by the formula : stoke volume ml / beat = edv − esv . at end - systole the aortic valve closes and pressure decreases as the walls of the ventricle relax during diastole . following opening of the mitral valve mvo the left ventricle fills from the left atrium , containing oxygenated blood from the lungs , and ventricular volume increases . contractility strength of contraction of the normal ventricle may be defined by the slope of the end - systolic pressure esp - volume esv relationship shown as solid line cn . thus , for a given edv , cardiac stroke volume decreases with increasing esp and esv . conversely , stroke volume increases with decreasing esp and esv for a given edv and contractility slope . with acute heart failure , the pressure - volume loop f 1 is shifted downward and to the right . for this heart failure example , the contractility slope shown as dashed line cf is reduced and the edv is increased . despite the increase in edv and decrease in esp , the cardiac stroke volume is reduced due to decreased contractility slope . because of the decreased contractility slope , the ventricle is more sensitive to changes in the esp . otherwise stated , with heart failure small changes in esp lead to larger changes in esv compared to the normal ventricle . [ 0044 ] fig4 also illustrates the effects of the embodiments of the present invention on the failing heart . with actuation of the aortic balloon 8 and the aortic - aortic bypass pump 10 , the left ventricle is pressure and volume unloaded . during ventricular systole , the aortic balloon 8 is inflated , occluding the aorta , and the bypass blood pump 10 transfers blood from the upper arterial compartment to the lower arterial compartment . pump flow rate is controlled increased or decreased to result in a set esp level . compared to the unassisted condition loop f 1 , the reduced esp during mechanical assistance results in a reduced esv loop f 2 despite an unchanged contractility slope dashed line cf . thus , reducing esp and esv with the heart - assist system 7 will increase cardiac stroke volume systemic perfusion and may also decrease ventricular edv . pressure and volume unloading of the ventricle also decreases systolic ventricular wall tension a primary component of cardiac muscle oxygen consumption . the aortic balloon 8 and aortic bypass pump 10 ( axial or centrifugal flow device ) are synchronously operated using the ecg - triggered and pressure - feedback controller 9 . during ventricular systole the small - volume balloon 8 is rapidly inflated , partially occluding the aorta . the flow rate of the aortic bypass blood pump 10 is regulated to obtain a specific end - systolic aortic pressure in the upper arterial compartment . a decreased end - systolic aortic pressure provided by the blood pump results in ventricular unloading and augmentation of systemic perfusion ( stroke volume and cardiac output ). the pump 10 assumes the circulation to the lower half of the body and the weakened heart is responsible for the upper half of the body only . decreased afterload also reduces the workload on the failing heart . the increased systemic blood flow elevates perfusion pressure in the lower half of the body . during ventricular diastole , the balloon is deflated and the pump - generated pressure and flow increases the perfusion pressure throughout the arterial tree . compared to the prior art intra - aortic balloon pumps , the invention provides greater augmentation of systemic perfusion , improved direct ventricular unloading , and increased diastolic perfusion , and without direct cannulation of the left ventricle or atrium as required for cardiac bypass devices . because of aortic occlusion , the pump 10 flows from high pressure to lower pressure and will actually assume about 60 % of the work . it is important to note that the pump 10 makes diastole become active . the pump 10 achieves systolic unloading by augmenting flow and increased blood flow during diastolic which reduces load to the heart . [ 0047 ] fig5 a and 5 b illustrate the functioning of the heart - assist system 7 . fig5 a shows the ecg and aop for the heart failure condition with the assist system 7 off . the ecg is recorded from skin electrodes appropriately placed on the patient . the r - wave 75 of the ecg corresponds with the start of ventricular systole and is used as a control trigger . the aop shows the pressure recorded in the proximal aorta solid line and distal aorta dashed line . with the assist system off and the aortic balloon deflated , the proximal and distal aortic pressures are essentially equal . the start of systole 78 corresponds with the edp time . the end of systole 79 corresponds with the esp time . the systolic period s is when left ventricular ejection into the aorta occurs . the diastolic period d is when the ventricle relaxes and coronary perfusion occurs . referring now to fig5 b and fig5 c , , with the heart assist system 7 on , the aortic balloon is activated in two stages : inflation during ventricular systole s and deflation during cardiac diastole d . as shown in fig5 b and fig5 c , the r - wave of the ecg is used to trigger balloon inflation . the start of balloon inflation 90 is controlled to obtain a preset edp level measured in the proximal aorta using the pressure transmission lumen 16 of the aortic catheter 11 . during inflation the balloon 8 makes uniform and firm contact with the inside wall of the aorta . this has the effect of blocking the downstream flow of blood in the aorta during systole . thus , a closed volume is created between the outflow valve of the ventricle and the expanded balloon 8 . at the time of systolic s balloon inflation 90 , the aortic bypass pump shunts blood from the upper arterial compartment proximal aorta to the lower arterial compartment distal aorta . the centrifugal blood pump flow rate and rpm are regulated by the external controller 9 to obtain a preset esp level measured in the aorta proximal to the inflated balloon . thereby , the proximal aortic pressure is decreased solid line 80 and the distal aortic pressure is increased dashed line 82 during systole s compared to the unassisted condition shown in fig5 a . at the end of systole start of diastole , the aortic balloon is rapidly deflated 92 . thus the aorta is opened between the upper and lower arterial compartments , and the two pressures equilibrate . the equilibration results in increased proximal solid line 84 and distal dashed line 86 aortic pressures during diastole d compared to the unassisted condition illustrated in fig5 a . therefore , the heart - assist system described in the present invention is capable of increasing cardiac stroke volume and systemic perfusion , reducing ventricular workload and oxygen consumption , and increasing perfusion pressure to the coronary arteries supplying the heart . also shown in fig5 b and fig5 c , the flow rate and rpm of the centrifugal aortic - aortic bypass pump may be increased 94 at the time to correspond 95 with aortic balloon inflation 90 . this provides for maximum pressure and volume unloading of the ventricle 80 and augmentation of distal perfusion pressure 82 . additionally , the flow rate and rpm of the centrifugal blood pump may be decreased 97 at the time to correspond 98 with aortic balloon deflation 92 . the reduced flow rate may decrease the degree of pump - induced hemolysis . [ 0050 ] fig6 a illustrates the components of the heart - assist system control unit 9 . manual controls 100 are used to set the timing of balloon inflation and deflation , and to set the degree of pressure assist provided by the centrifugal blood pump . the control unit contains preamplifiers 102 with ekg 52 , aortic pressure 18 , and pump flow 45 inputs . control setting and transducer signals are passed through an a / d converter 104 with before being sent to the processor unit 106 and monitor display subsystem 108 . based on transducer signals and control settings , the processor unit controls and monitors the pneumatic subsystem 110 that provides gas pressure and vacuum to inflate and deflate the aortic balloon , respectively , via a pneumatic drive line 20 . processor unit 106 contains a microprocessor such as a motorola 68hc11 , random access memory ( ram ) and program memory ( prom ) which contains software to control the system . the processor unit also controls and monitors the motor control subsystem 112 , that sends power to the centrifugal blood pump drive motor via a electronic cable 64 . [ 0051 ] fig6 b illustrates the timing control panel 114 , on the external control unit , that is used for setting aortic balloon aob inflation 116 and deflation 118 timing with respect to the r - wave of the electrocardiogram 75 as a percentage of the r - r time interval . with the assist pump and balloon turned off , the aortic balloon inflation time is established by manually moving the slide control 120 that controls a cursor line 122 simultaneously shown on the monitor display 108 . the slide control is moved such that the cursor line corresponds with end - diastole ed and the ed pressure 124 overlying the displayed aortic pressure waveform 126 . additionally , balloon deflation time is established by manually moving the slide control 128 that controls a second cursor line 130 on the display monitor . the slide control is moved such that the cursor line corresponds with end - systole es and the es pressure 132 for the aortic pressure waveform . in the event that heart rate changes by + 10 beats per minute , the assist pump and balloon should be turned off and the inflation and deflation timing reestablished . [ 0052 ] fig6 c illustrates the pressure assist pa control panel 140 , on the external control unit , that is used for setting the degree of ventricular unloading provided by the aortic bypass pump . the degree of ventricular unloading is determined by the measured difference between the aortic end diastolic pressure edp 142 and the end systolic pressure esp 144 . a control knob 146 is manually set to establish the degree of pressure unloading which ranges from a negative 5 mmhg to a positive 5 mmhg . a control knob setting of 0 corresponds with the esp = edp . this setting provides a moderate level of ventricular unloading and heart assist . a setting of − 5 corresponds with the esp being 5 mmhg less than the corresponding edp . this setting provides the maximum level of ventricular unloading and heart assist . a setting of + 5 corresponds with the esp being 5 mmhg more than the edp . this setting provides the minimum level of ventricular unloading and is used for weaning from the heart assist system . the illustrated control method allows for beat - to - beat control of pump flow rate regardless of changes in the systemic vascular resistance and blood pressure . a manual push button 148 must be depressed simultaneously with changing the control knob setting . this method is used to prevent inadvertent changes in the pressure assist setting . [ 0053 ] fig6 d is a detailed flow diagram of the heart - assist system control logic 150 . beat to beat control of the aortic occlusion balloon and aortic bypass pump is started with electrocardiogram r - wave detection 152 . with r - wave detection the timing clock and monitor displays are reset and the preceding r - r interval time is measured 154 . based on the percentage ed and es control setting 156 shown in fig7 the ed and es times in seconds is calculated 158 for the measured r - r interval 154 . aortic balloon inflation it and deflation dt times 160 are calculated by subtracting a known electromechanical delay time for the pneumatic subsystem from the previously calculated ed and es times 158 , respectively . at the calculated balloon inflation time it following r - wave detection , a trigger signal 162 is sent to the pneumatic subsystem 110 to provide drive gas to the aortic balloon . at the calculated ed time , the ed pressure edp is measured 164 from the aortic pressure input signal . based on the pressure assist control setting shown in fig8 the calculated es pressure espc 168 is determined using the formula : espc = measured edp 164 minus the pressure assist pa setting 146 . at the calculated balloon deflation time dt following r - wave detection , a trigger signal 170 is sent to the pneumatic subsystem 110 to exhaust drive gas from the aortic balloon . at the calculated es time , the es pressure esp is measured 172 from the aortic pressure input signal . the calculated pressure difference pdif 174 is determined using the formula : pdif = measured esp 172 minus the calculated espc 168 . the bypass pump speed rpm change is determined 176 based on the calculated pdif 174 . positive pdif values result in increasing pump speeds . conversely , negative pdif values result in decreasing pump speeds . a speed control change signal 178 is sent to the motor control subsystem 112 which regulates centrifugal pump flow . following the above steps , the control logic unit waits for the next r - wave detection 180 . thus , the invention provides a method and apparatus for assisting the failing heart until such time that ventricular recovery and weaning from the assist system occurs . there are several advantages of this invention over prior intra - aortic balloon pump and ventricular assist devices . the invention is particularly useful in increasing cardiac output and decreasing ventricular loading without direct cannulation of the left atrium or left ventricle . the method includes controlled intermittent occlusion of the aorta synchronously with the cardiac cycle , accompanied by the pumping of blood from the proximal to the distal aorta at a rate sufficient to pressure and volume unload the failing left ventricle . systolic ventricular unloading increases cardiac output and decreases myocardial oxygen demands . augmented cardiac output levels also increase perfusion of the coronary arteries supplying oxygenated blood to the heart . although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that numerous modifications from the present invention may be made without departing from the scope and meaning of the claims that follow .
a balloon is positionable in the patient &# 39 ; s descending aorta . the balloon includes a balloon catheter and two pressure sensors that electrically couple to an extra - corporeal controller . the balloon itself also couples pneumatically to the extra - corporeal controller . an extra - corporeal pump electrically couples to the extra - corporeal controller , the pump having an outlet connectable to the patient &# 39 ; s infra - diaphragmatic artery . the pump inlet is connectable via a cannula to the patient &# 39 ; s supra - diaphragmatic artery . a doctor inserts the balloon into the descending aorta , and positions the balloon near the level of the patient &# 39 ; s diaphragm . a balloon catheter , coupled to the extra - corporeal controller , inflates and deflates the balloon . an electrocardiogram ecg and proximal aortic blood pressure , measured in the upper arterial compartment via a lumen in the balloon catheter , serve as inputs to cycle the balloon synchronously with the heartbeat .