Nanjing Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital to License Novel Interventional Blood Pump Technology for RMB 100,000

Recently, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University released a public notice on the conversion of scientific and technological achievements. The hospital intends to transfer the relevant technologies through a listing-and-delisting transaction method following valuation and pricing.“An Interventional Blood Pump”Patent Technology Ownership (or Usage Rights) Successfully Transferred to Industry Partners, with a Proposed Transfer Amount of RMB100,000 yuanWhole. The inventor of this patented technology is the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityProf. Li Qingguo and His Team。

The invention proposed for transfer relates to an interventional blood pump, falling within the technical field of blood pumps. Its core design optimizes the flush fluid flow path; during operation, the flush fluid is discharged exclusively through the internal channel of the rotating shaft and specific overflow ports, thereby effectively preventing debris, which may be generated in conventional designs, from entering the bloodstream. This design significantly enhances the biosafety of the blood pump in clinical applications and reduces the risk of related complications.

Ventricular Assist Deviceis one of the most effective treatments for end-stage heart failure. Its core principle isDirectly increasing cardiac output through mechanical blood pumping. This mechanical support can reduce the burden on the failing heart, allowing it to rest and recover function, thereby improving systemic circulation. Based on the duration of use, it can be divided into short-term assistance (typically less than 3 months) and long-term assistance (more than 3 months). If classified according to the connection method between the device and the body, it is mainly divided intoExtracorporeal, interventional, and fully implantable.

Among these, the interventional ventricular assist device (iVAD) is a short-term support device implanted via minimally invasive vascular intervention. It typically comprises a control system, a purge system, and a core pumping system. During the procedure, physicians advance a miniature blood pump retrograde into the heart through access routes such as the femoral artery. The inlet of the blood pump is positioned within the left ventricle, while the outlet resides in the aorta. When the impeller inside the pump is driven to rotate at high speed, it generates negative pressure at the inlet, thereby directly aspirating blood from the left ventricle and pumping it into the aorta, thus replacing or partially substituting the heart’s intrinsic pumping function.

To ensure the long-term, stable operation of the blood pump’s core drive motor (typically comprising the stator, rotor, and bearings) and to prevent blood ingress that could lead to coagulation and malfunction, the device is equipped with a critical flush system. This system continuously pumps sterile flush solution into the precise internal clearances of the motor, utilizing fluid pressure to form a “Hydraulic Seal Barrier", thereby preventing blood ingress. Meanwhile, the flowing irrigation fluid also lubricates and cools moving components such as bearings.

However, a critical flaw exists in current technologies. During the operation of the blood pump, microscopic wear particles are inevitably generated between the high-speed rotating shaft and the bearings. Traditional flush flow path designs allow the flushing fluid to pass directly through these bearing components, carrying the particulate matter into the patient’s aortic bloodstream. These foreign particles entering the circulatory system may serve as nidi for thrombus formation, inducing vascular embolism, thereby posing serious clinical risks and threatening patient survival.

For example, in the interventional blood pump described in an existing patented technology (Patent No. CN216456526U), the flush fluid still needs to flow through moving parts such as bearings. It can be inferred from its operation process that particulate matter generated by bearing wear will subsequently enter the bloodstream, a problem that has not yet been effectively resolved. This represents a critical safety bottleneck that current technologies urgently need to optimize.

It is precisely driven by this critical clinical risk that the interventional blood pump provided by this invention has its most core advancement and advantage inRevolutionary Redesign of the Irrigation Fluid Flow Path, thereby addressing the root causeBlocks the pathway for wear particles to enter the patient's bloodstream.Conventional irrigation fluid designs require the fluid to flow through the chamber housing the bearings, inevitably carrying metal or material particles generated by friction between the bearings and the rotating shaft directly into the bloodstream. In contrast, the innovative design of this patent cleverly allows the irrigation fluid to completely “bypass” these critical moving components prone to wear.

Specifically, the entire flushing process is strictly confined to an independent internal channel. After the sterile flushing fluid is injected through the inlet pipe at the rear end, it does not enter the motor’s bearing chamber; instead, it flows directly into a dedicated coaxial flow channel preset along the center of the rotor shaft. This channel acts like an internal highway, allowing the flushing fluid to reach its destination directly. The fluid is ultimately released with precision into the annular gap at the front end of the blood pump through overflow ports located on the side wall of the shaft.

This design change has brought multiple key benefits. First, itAchieved the most fundamental "physical isolation". Since the irrigation fluid does not come into contact with the bearings and other internal moving components of the motor, any microscopic wear debris generated during long-term high-speed operation is prevented from being carried by the fluid into the bloodstream. This significantly reduces the risk of thromboembolism caused by foreign bodies entering the blood, thereby substantially enhancing the product’s biosafety by design.

Secondly,The unique design of the overflow port creates a reliable “hydraulic seal” in critical areas.. The overflow port is not a simple hole, but an elongated opening extending along the axis of the rotor. As irrigation fluid continuously flows out from this location, it forms and maintains a stable region of positive-pressure liquid within the narrow gap between the rotor and the pump housing. This “water seal” serves a dual purpose: on one hand, it effectively prevents patient blood from flowing backward into the pump interior through the annular clearance at the front end, thereby protecting the precision motor; on the other hand, it also confines any particulate matter potentially present within the motor interior, further ensuring safety.

Furthermore, the invention utilizes an ingenious"Water-Barrier Ring" Component, reinforcing the starting point of this safety channel. The water-blocking ring is made of flexible sealing material and is tightly fitted onto the rotating shaft, positioned between the water inlet and the bearing chamber.

It functions as a one-way valve or sealing ring, ensuring that all irrigation fluid from the inlet tubing is forced into the central lumen of the rotating shaft, with no leakage into the posterior bearing area. This design guarantees the integrity of the irrigation pathway and is a critical component in achieving physical isolation.

In addition to the revolutionary flushing protocol, this invention also delivers significant optimizations in the core pumping function and operational stability of the blood pump. The impeller adoptsConical Designto reduce blood flow resistance, with spiral-shaped impeller blades designed to propel blood efficiently. More ingeniously, stationary guide vanes (stator blades) are arranged around the pump housing outlet in a direction opposite to the spiral orientation of the impeller blades.

From the perspective of fluid dynamics, when the impeller rotates to pump blood, the blood acquires a rotational tangential force. This force generates a reaction on the impeller, which can easily cause vibration or oscillation of the entire pump housing. However, the stationary guide vanes with a reverse helical design can straighten and rectify the blood flow, effectively counteracting this rotational component. This significantly reduces vibration and noise during device operation, thereby enhancing its stability and reliability within the sensitive cardiovascular environment.

In summary,This patented technology achieves fundamental safety isolation by reconstructing the flushing pathway, and enhances operational efficiency through precision fluid dynamics design.. It is not a mere incremental improvement over existing technologies, but rather a systematic, principle-innovating solution addressing a critical clinical risk (particulate embolism), representing a significant direction in the safety design of interventional ventricular assist devices.

Johnson & JohnsonIn the field of cardiovascular intervention, possessesImpella Series of Micro-Axial Flow Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Devices. This product is hailed as“The World’s Smallest Artificial Heart”, is a short-term circulatory support device implanted via minimally invasive interventional techniques. Its core mechanism relies on a micro-axial flow pump located at the catheter tip: physicians implant the device through peripheral vessels such as the femoral artery, positioning the pump body across the aortic valve into the left ventricle. During operation, this high-speed rotating micro-pump actively draws blood from the left ventricle and pumps it directly into the ascending aorta, thereby effectively increasing cardiac output and systemic organ perfusion while reducing left ventricular workload and myocardial oxygen consumption, creating an opportunity for the failing heart to rest and recover. The Impella series currently includes various models for left heart support, such as the CP, 5.0, and 5.5, as well as the RP model specifically designed for right heart system support, providing blood flow support ranging from 2.5 to 6.2 liters per minute.

This product series has reached a mature stage of commercialization and is currently the only interventional ventricular assist device approved by the U.S. FDA on the global market. It is primarily used for emergency treatment of cardiogenic shock and for circulatory support during high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson continues to advance the iteration of this technology; for example, its next-generation product, the Impella ECP, has completed pivotal clinical trials.

One of Core Medical's core products isCorVad (Interventional Left Ventricular Assist System), this isAShort-term circulatory support devices implanted via minimally invasive interventional techniques. The core mechanism of this product involves the transvascular implantation of the device’s pump head into the patient’s left ventricle, enabling it to actively draw blood from the left ventricle and directly pump it into the aorta. This rapidly establishes an auxiliary blood flow pathway in patients with severely compromised cardiac function, effectively unloading the heart and providing critical circulatory support for high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions or acute heart failure.

According to the official announcement from the National Medical Products Administration, the registration applications for Shenzhen Core Medical’s “Interventional Left Ventricular Assist Device” and “Interventional Left Ventricular Assist Catheter Pump Kit” were approved in January 2026. This marks CorVad, as a first-of-its-kind technology in China, officially entering the commercialization stage with market approval.

In the future, industry development may place greater emphasis on further optimizing product usability, reliability, and potential for long-term support, while exploring application strategies for a broader population of heart failure patients, all built upon improvements in pumping efficiency and biosafety. Overall, the continuous advancement and widespread adoption of percutaneous circulatory support technologies are expected to provide more timely and effective life-support options for patients with critical cardiac conditions such as cardiogenic shock and those undergoing high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).