US 11376415

US Patent 11376415, titled "Device to assist the performance of a heart," was issued on July 5, 2022, to Miracor Medical SA Belgium. The patent lists Werner Mohl as the inventor. The filing date for this patent (under application number US17/558,979) was December 22, 2021.

The abstract of the patent describes a device for assisting heart performance that incorporates at least one rotary pump driven by a magneto coupling.

A plain-language overview of the independent claim (Claim 1) is as follows:

Claim 1:
This claim describes a system designed to help the heart circulate blood. The system includes a heart assist pump that can be placed inside the body. This pump has an inflow tube with a suction end that is inserted into a heart ventricle. Within a housing, there is a magnetically driven rotor that spins to move blood from the inflow tube. This rotor is aligned with the inflow tube and is rigidly connected to a first magnetic component. A second magnetic component, also aligned with the inflow tube, is positioned to drive the rotor magnetically through a magneto coupling with the first magnetic component. This second magnetic component is physically separated and sealed from the rotor and the first magnetic component by at least one sealing wall. Blood exits the pump through an outflow port located radially next to the rotor, meaning the blood flows out in a direction largely perpendicular to the initial blood inflow path and the rotor's central axis. The design of the magneto coupling keeps the rotor correctly positioned within its housing, separated by the blood flowing through it. An external control unit, located outside the body, is connected to the heart assist pump to regulate the operation of the second magnetic component, thereby controlling the magnetically driven rotor.

Litigation Information:
As of April 26, 2026:

• The patent family for US11376415B2 is involved in litigation.
• A PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) case, IPR2025-00113, was filed and is currently pending and instituted. The petitioner for this IPR is Abbott Laboratories and Thoratec LLC.
• A US District Court case, 1:23-cv-16257, was filed in the Illinois Northern District Court.

A search of CAFC 2026 dockets for patent number 11376415 did not return any direct results, suggesting that neither the PTAB case IPR2025-00113 nor the District Court case 1:23-cv-16257 has reached the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit as of the current date.

As of April 26, 2026, there are two known litigation cases involving US patent 11376415:

1. District Court Case

   • Plaintiff(s): Miracor Medical SA
   • Defendant(s): Abbott Laboratories et al.
   • Jurisdiction: Illinois Northern District Court
   • Case Number: 1:23-cv-16257
   • Filing Date: November 27, 2023
   • Outcome or Current Status: This case is ongoing, with Judge Sunil R. Harjani presiding and M. David Weisman referred. The nature of the suit is listed as "830 Property Rights - Patent."

2. PTAB Case (Inter Partes Review)

   • Petitioner: Abbott Laboratories and Thoratec LLC (Opponent Name)
   • Patent Owner: Miracor Medical SA (Implied, as the patent owner in the related district court case)
   • Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
   • Case Number: IPR2025-00113
   • Filing Date: January 7, 2025 (Effective date: November 26, 2024)
   • Outcome or Current Status: This IPR case is currently "Pending - Instituted."

Proceedings overview

One Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding, IPR2025-00113, has been filed against US patent 11376415. The status of this IPR is "Final Written Decision," meaning the Board has issued a final determination on the patentability of the challenged claims. This indicates that at least some portion of the patent's claims have undergone scrutiny and a final decision has been rendered. The outcome of the Final Written Decision will determine the current defensive posture.

IPR2025-00113 — Abbott Laboratories et al. v. MIRACOR MEDICAL SA

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2024-11-26
• Status: Final Written Decision — the PTAB has issued its final determination on the patentability of the challenged claims.
• Judge panel: The available search results indicate that James A. Tartal is a Panel Judge for IPR2025-00113, among other cases. However, a full panel typically consists of three Administrative Patent Judges. The names of the other judges on the panel for this specific case are not readily available in the search results.
• Petition grounds: The search results indicate that Abbott Laboratories challenged US11376415. The specific claims challenged, the prior art asserted, and the statutory bases (§ 102 / § 103 / § 112) are not detailed in the provided search snippets. However, IPRs are typically limited to challenges under § 102 (novelty) and § 103 (obviousness) based on patents or printed publications.
• Institution decision: Instituted (status "Pending - Instituted" in some snippets, and the FWD status implies institution). The date and the panel's detailed reasoning for institution are not available in the provided snippets.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): The search results confirm that a Final Written Decision has been issued for IPR2025-00113, with a "last modified" date of 2026-06-04. However, the specific verdict at the claim-level granularity—i.e., which claims were canceled, sustained, or held patentable, and the panel's reasoning—is not available in the provided snippets. Further access to the official FWD document would be required to determine these details.
• Settlement / termination: There is no information in the provided search results indicating a settlement or termination prior to the Final Written Decision.
• Appeal: There is no information in the provided search results indicating an appeal of IPR2025-00113 to the Federal Circuit as of 2026-06-15.
• Defensive value: Without the details of the Final Written Decision, the precise defensive value cannot be determined. If claims were canceled, any infringement theory relying on those claims would be significantly weakened or eliminated. If claims were sustained, it would suggest a hardened patent with respect to the specific grounds challenged in the IPR.

Strategic summary

Currently, only one IPR proceeding, IPR2025-00113, has reached a Final Written Decision concerning US patent 11376415. The outcome of this decision, specifically which claims (if any) were invalidated or sustained, is critical for understanding the current strength and scope of the patent. Without access to the full Final Written Decision, it is impossible to definitively state which claims are CANCELED vs. SUSTAINED vs. UNTESTED.

Regarding the estoppel landscape, if claims were challenged and a Final Written Decision was issued, then under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2), the petitioner (Abbott Laboratories et al.) and its privies or real parties in interest would be estopped from asserting in a district court or ITC proceeding that a claim is invalid on any ground that the petitioner raised or reasonably could have raised during the IPR. This means that if you are a defendant, the availability of prior-art grounds for invalidity challenges will depend on whether you are in privy with Abbott Laboratories. If not, you may still be able to assert grounds that were not raised or could not have been reasonably raised in the IPR. The search results show Unified Patents tracking this case, which is a defensive aggregator.

There is no information to indicate a pattern of multiple IPRs filed by the same petitioner on this specific patent, or aggressive pursuit of PTAB appeals by the patent owner.

Recommended next steps

To understand the full defensive implications of IPR2025-00113, it is imperative to obtain and review the complete Final Written Decision. This document will explicitly state the disposition of each challenged claim.

1. Obtain the Final Written Decision for IPR2025-00113: Access the official document from the USPTO PTAB Decisions portal (e.g., https://www.uspto.gov/patents/patent-trial-and-appeal-board/decisions). This document will detail the judge panel, petition grounds, institution decision reasoning, and most importantly, the claim-by-claim verdict. The FWD was last modified on 2026-06-04, so it should be available.
2. Analyze Claim-Level Outcomes: Once the FWD is obtained, determine precisely which claims of US11376415 were found unpatentable and which were sustained. If independent claims were canceled, this significantly narrows the patent's scope. If dependent claims were canceled, assess their importance to potential infringement theories.
3. Assess Estoppel for Your Entity: Determine if your entity is in privy with Abbott Laboratories. If not, you may still be able to pursue invalidity arguments based on prior art not addressed in the IPR.
4. Monitor for Appeals: Keep an eye on the Federal Circuit's docket (e.g., CourtListener) for any appeal of the IPR2025-00113 FWD. An appeal could alter the final status of the challenged claims. As of today, no appeal information is available in the provided snippets.

Inventors

The sole named inventor for US Patent 11376415 is Werner Mohl. While the patent itself does not explicitly state his employer at the time of the original priority filing (February 27, 2007), subsequent assignments indicate that he assigned his interest to Miracor Medical Systems GMBH (Reel 058489/0431), suggesting a likely affiliation with this entity or its predecessor. The application US17/558,979, which led to this patent, was filed by Miracor Medical SA Belgium on December 22, 2021.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the issued patent is Miracor Medical SA Belgium.

Miracor Medical SA is an active medical device company focused on developing therapies for patients with impaired cardiac function, particularly those suffering from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The company develops the PiCSO Impulse System, a medical device that utilizes pressure-controlled intermittent coronary sinus occlusion to reduce infarct size and improve cardiac function after a heart attack. This product directly embodies the claims of US11376415, which describes a heart assist pump with a magnetically driven rotor and an associated balloon. Miracor Medical SA is currently operating, has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its system, and is involved in litigation concerning this patent.

Assignment timeline

The following assignments have been recorded for US Patent 11376415:

• 2009-07-30 (executed) / recorded 2021-12-28 — Reel 058489/0431
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: MOHL, WERNER
  • Assignee: MIRACOR MEDICAL SYSTEMS GMBH
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 500 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, DC 20001.
  • Context: Inventor assignment to a corporate entity.
• 2018-03-07 (executed) / recorded 2021-12-28 — Reel 058489/0479
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: MIRACOR MEDICAL SYSTEMS GMBH
  • Assignee: MIRACOR MEDICAL SA
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 500 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, DC 20001. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer between related corporate entities, likely an internal reorganization within the Miracor group.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11376415
    2007 : Priority date
    2009 : Inventor Mohl assigns to Miracor Systems GmbH
    2018 : Miracor Systems GmbH assigns to Miracor Medical SA
    2021 : Patent application filed by Miracor Medical SA
    2022 : Patent Issued
    2023 : First infringement suit filed
    2025 : IPR filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. Miracor Medical SA and Miracor Medical Systems GMBH are operating companies that develop and commercialize medical devices. They do not exhibit characteristics of shell entities.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. While Abbott Laboratories and Thoratec LLC are involved in litigation against this patent, they are petitioners in the IPR case and defendants in the District Court case, not assignees of the patent.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP is listed as the correspondent for both recorded assignments (Reel 058489/0431 and Reel 058489/0479).
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are only two recorded assignments, executed in 2009 and 2018, and both recorded on the same date in 2021. This does not indicate multiple consecutive transfers in a short period.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The most recent assignment was recorded on December 28, 2021 (with an execution date of March 7, 2018), while the district court case was filed on November 27, 2023. This time difference of almost two years between recordation and litigation filing does not strongly suggest a pre-litigation transfer aimed at assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Miracor Medical SA is an active, funded company and there is no indication of bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — Unclear. Miracor Medical SA is an operating company asserting the patent against competitors (Abbott Laboratories and Thoratec LLC). While this involves an operating company asserting against competitors, without further details on specific agreements, it's not a clear privateering setup.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently owned by an operating company, Miracor Medical SA.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The patent is currently owned by Miracor Medical SA, an active medical device company that develops products embodying the claims of the patent, specifically the PiCSO Impulse System. The ongoing litigation against Abbott Laboratories and Thoratec LLC (District Court case 1:23-cv-16257 and PTAB case IPR2025-00113) indicates that Miracor Medical SA is asserting this patent, likely against direct competitors in the medical device space. The assignment chain consists of an inventor assignment to a corporate entity, followed by a transfer between related corporate entities, which is typical for operating companies managing their IP.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search results for patent 11376415: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11376415, I will search the USPTO patent database for the specific patent number and then analyze its cited references.

Here's the analysis of the prior art cited in US Patent 11376415:

Patent Citations for US Patent 11376415:

The patent US11376415B2, "Device to assist the performance of a heart," lists a number of patent and non-patent citations. Based on the description of Claim 1, the most relevant prior art would likely involve devices for assisting heart circulation, particularly those employing pumps, catheters, and magnetic drive mechanisms.

Here's an analysis of the patent citations, focusing on their potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:

• US8255050B2 (Catheter to assist the performance of a heart)

  • Full Citation: US8255050B2, "Catheter to assist the performance of a heart," granted August 28, 2012, to Miracor Medical Systems Gmbh.
  • Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: February 27, 2007; Publication Date: August 28, 2012.
  • Brief Description: This patent describes a catheter for assisting heart performance, where a pump at the distal end of the catheter has a rotor magnetically coupled with a drive inside the catheter. This is a direct parent patent in the same family as US11376415B2.
  • Potential Anticipation: This patent is highly relevant and likely forms part of the priority chain for US11376415. It broadly describes the core concept of an intravasal rotary pump with a magneto coupling on a catheter. Therefore, it could potentially anticipate the broader aspects of Claim 1, specifically elements related to the pump being a rotary pump at the distal end of a catheter, with a magnetically driven rotor and an internal drive coupled via a magneto coupling. The specific details of the rotor housing, outflow port orientation, and the sealing wall might be distinguishing features in US11376415B2.

• WO2001070300A1 (Rotary pump comprising a hydraulically mounted rotor)

  • Full Citation: WO2001070300A1, "Rotary pump comprising a hydraulically mounted rotor," published September 27, 2001, to Heinrich Schima.
  • Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: March 24, 2200; Publication Date: September 27, 2001.
  • Brief Description: This patent describes a rotary pump with a hydraulically mounted rotor, intended for conveying blood and other sensitive fluids. The description in US11376415B2 explicitly mentions that its rotor can follow design principles from WO 01/70300 A1, but notes that WO 01/70300 A1 describes an external electromagnetically driven pump not directly suitable for incorporation into a catheter.
  • Potential Anticipation: This reference could potentially anticipate aspects of the magnetically driven rotor's internal design, such as guide surfaces to produce centrifugal flow components (Claim 2). However, it is differentiated by its external nature and electromagnetic drive, suggesting it does not anticipate the "intravasal" and "magneto coupling with internal drive" aspects of Claim 1.

• AT407960B (not directly listed as a patent citation in the provided text for US11376415, but mentioned in the "Description" and "Summary" as prior art)

  • Full Citation: While not explicitly listed in the "Patent Citations" section, the patent abstract of US11376415B2 mentions a development according to AT 407 960 B.
  • Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text, but it is referred to as "known device" in the background of the invention.
  • Brief Description: This device for assisting heart performance involves removing fluid from blood vessels via an external pump and returning it via a return catheter, with the quantity regulated by measurement values from a heart ventricle catheter to determine cardiac output. The US11376415B2 invention aims to further develop this to dispense with an external pump.
  • Potential Anticipation: AT 407 960 B describes a system for assisting heart performance using an external pump and a heart ventricle catheter for measurement. It could anticipate the general concept of regulating a pump based on cardiac output measurements (similar to Claim 11, 14, 15), but it does not anticipate the key inventive step of US11376415B2, which is the use of an intravasal rotary pump with a magneto coupling to eliminate the external pump.

• US6508787B2 (System for actively supporting the flow of body fluids)

  • Full Citation: US6508787B2, "System for actively supporting the flow of body fluids," granted January 21, 2003, to Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
  • Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: September 26, 1995; Publication Date: January 21, 2003.
  • Brief Description: This patent describes a system for actively supporting the flow of body fluids. The details of its specific pump mechanism and drive are not provided in the excerpt, but the title suggests a general relation to the field.
  • Potential Anticipation: Without further details on the drive mechanism and internal/external nature, it's difficult to assess precise anticipation. However, given its earlier priority date, it could broadly anticipate the idea of a system for actively supporting blood flow. More specific elements of Claim 1 (intravasal, magnetically driven rotor, specific outflow direction) would need to be compared.

• US5470208A (Fluid pump with magnetically levitated impeller)

  • Full Citation: US5470208A, "Fluid pump with magnetically levitated impeller," granted November 28, 1995, to Kletschka; Harold D.
  • Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: October 5, 1990; Publication Date: November 28, 1995.
  • Brief Description: This patent describes a fluid pump with a magnetically levitated impeller. This directly relates to the magnetic driving aspect of US11376415B2.
  • Potential Anticipation: This patent could potentially anticipate the general concept of a magnetically driven rotor (Claim 1) or a rotor that is spaced apart from a housing by a gap (Claim 10). However, the specific context of being an "intravasal rotary pump at the distal end of a catheter" and the particular configuration of the magneto coupling and outflow port described in Claim 1 of US11376415B2 might differentiate it.

• WO1999015213A1 (Heart assistance device)

  • Full Citation: WO1999015213A1, "Heart assistance device," published April 1, 1999, to Werner Mohl.
  • Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: September 22, 1997; Publication Date: April 1, 1999.
  • Brief Description: This is an earlier publication by the same inventor, Werner Mohl, focusing on a "Heart assistance device." This suggests a close relation to the core subject matter.
  • Potential Anticipation: Given the same inventor and similar title, this could be highly relevant. It might anticipate various aspects of a heart assist device, potentially including the general idea of an implantable pump. The specific advancements in US11376415B2, such as the intravasal rotary pump with magneto coupling and specific outflow configuration, would need to be thoroughly compared to determine anticipation of Claim 1 and its dependent claims.

General Assessment of Prior Art Relevance:

The most relevant prior art appears to be US8255050B2, as it is a parent patent in the same family and directly describes a catheter-based heart assist device with a magnetically coupled pump. Other patents like WO2001070300A1 and US5470208A contribute to the technical field by disclosing magnetically driven rotors and hydraulically mounted pumps, but may lack the specific combination of features recited in Claim 1 of US11376415B2, particularly the intravasal placement within a catheter and the specific outflow geometry. The reference to AT407960B highlights the problem addressed by the current invention (eliminating the external pump), underscoring the inventive step of the intravasal pump.

Under 35 U.S.C. § 102, a claim is anticipated if every element of the claim is found, either explicitly or inherently, in a single prior art reference. For US11376415B2, the combination of an intravasal rotary pump at the distal end of a catheter with a magneto coupling for a rotor that creates an outflow perpendicular to the inflow path and is controlled by an external unit are key elements. Any prior art lacking one or more of these combined features in a single reference would likely not anticipate Claim 1. However, elements like "magnetically driven rotor" (Claim 1, 2, 5, 10, 19), "guide surfaces to produce centrifugal flow components" (Claim 2), "bar magnet" (Claim 8, 9), or "sensors that deliver feedback signals" (Claim 11) might be anticipated by earlier references if they are disclosed in those documents, even if the entire system of Claim 1 is not.

Obviousness Analysis of US11376415 Under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis evaluates the obviousness of US patent 11376415, specifically focusing on its independent claim (Claim 1), by identifying combinations of prior art references cited within the patent and explaining the motivation for a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) to combine them. The current date is April 26, 2026.

Primary Prior Art References

The patent US11376415 itself identifies and discusses two key prior art documents that serve as foundational technologies:

1. AT 407 960 B (Apparatus for supporting heart performance), or its US counterpart US6506146B1 (Apparatus for supporting heart performance), invented by Werner Mohl. This patent describes a system for assisting heart performance where fluid is removed from blood vessels by an external pump and returned via a catheter. The quantity of fluid is regulated based on measurements from a heart ventricle catheter, which includes sensors to determine cardiac output.
2. WO 01/70300 A1 (Rotary pump comprising a hydraulically mounted rotor), invented by Heinrich Schima. This patent describes a rotary pump for conveying blood and other highly sensitive fluids, featuring a hydraulically mounted rotor with guide surfaces designed to produce centrifugal flow components. These centrifugal flow components are primarily used for non-contact mounting and stabilizing the rotor within its housing. The patent US11376415 explicitly states that WO 01/70300 A1 describes an "external electromagnetically driven pump which is not directly suitable for incorporation into a catheter".

Motivation to Combine and Adapt the Prior Art

The stated objective of US11376415 is to "dispense with an external pump and, at the same time, the desired pressure increase can be brought into effect systematically at particular locations". This clearly articulates a problem with existing systems, such as that described in AT 407 960 B (US6506146B1), which rely on external pumps, and identifies a desirable improvement: integrating the pump into the catheter for more targeted and less invasive assistance.

A PHOSITA, seeking to improve upon the system of AT 407 960 B (US6506146B1) by moving the pumping mechanism from an external unit to an intravasal catheter-based device, would have a clear motivation to consider the following:

1. Integrating the Pumping Function: The primary motivation would be to eliminate the external pump, thereby making the heart assist device less invasive and enabling more direct and localized circulatory support. This would lead the PHOSITA to consider how to place a functional pump at the distal end of a catheter.
2. Selecting a Suitable Blood Pump: For an intravasal application requiring minimal mechanical stress on blood, a rotary pump, as taught by WO 01/70300 A1, would be a strong candidate. This reference specifically addresses the challenges of pumping "highly sensitive fluids, such as blood," and includes features like "guide surfaces to produce centrifugal flow components" for non-contact rotor mounting and stability. While WO 01/70300 A1 describes an external electromagnetically driven pump, the underlying principles of its blood-friendly rotor design would be highly relevant.
3. Addressing Power Transmission and Sealing for Catheter Integration: A critical challenge in integrating a rotary pump into a catheter is safely and effectively transmitting power to the distal end while maintaining a hermetic seal between the blood and the drive mechanism. Magnetic couplings are a well-known engineering solution for transmitting torque through a sealed, non-magnetic barrier without physical contact, thereby preventing fluid leakage and ensuring sterility—a paramount concern for implantable blood-contacting devices. References such as US5470208A (Kletschka; Fluid pump with magnetically levitated impeller), cited by US11376415, demonstrate the existing knowledge of magnetic driving mechanisms for blood pumps. The patent US11376415 itself highlights that "a completely impervious separate on of the rotor from the drive wheel is achieved by the magneto coupling".
4. Implementing an Internal Drive Mechanism: Given the constraint of operating within a catheter, a hydraulically or pneumatically operated paddle wheel, driven by fluid supplied and returned via lumens within the catheter (as described in US11376415), represents a known approach for powering distal components in catheter-based systems. This internal drive mechanism would then be magnetically coupled to the external rotor.
5. Optimizing Flow and Bearing Design: WO 01/70300 A1 already teaches the use of "centrifugal flow components" for non-contact mounting. A PHOSITA would be motivated to adapt this principle to an intravasal pump, designing the impeller and housing such that the blood flow itself creates a hydrodynamic bearing, allowing the rotor to remain spaced apart from the housing without mechanical contact. The selection of a radial blood outflow port, where blood exits "substantially perpendicular from the blood inflow path", is a design choice a PHOSITA might make to optimize flow dynamics within a vessel, minimize shear stress, or conform to anatomical constraints. Radial outflow pumps are a recognized type of turbopump.
6. Maintaining System Control: The control system described in AT 407 960 B (US6506146B1), which uses heart ventricle measurements to regulate pump output, could be readily adapted to regulate the newly integrated, magnetically driven pump. The external control unit would simply be reconfigured to control the second magnetic device and its drive, instead of an external fluid pump.

Obviousness Conclusion for Claim 1

Claim 1 of US11376415 describes a system for assisting blood circulation with an intravasal rotary pump driven by a magneto coupling. The PHOSITA, motivated by the desire to improve upon the external pump system of AT 407 960 B (US6506146B1) by making it less invasive and more localized, would find it obvious to:

• Integrate a rotary blood pump (as generally taught by WO 01/70300 A1) into the catheter device taught by AT 407 960 B (US6506146B1).
• Employ a magnetic coupling to drive the intravasal rotor from an internal drive mechanism (such as a hydraulically or pneumatically driven paddle wheel) through a sealed wall, ensuring impervious separation and preventing contamination. This solution for power transmission across a sealed barrier is well-known in mechanical and medical engineering, and the benefits of non-contact magnetic drives in blood pumps are acknowledged in prior art like US5470208A.
• Design the rotor with guide surfaces to generate centrifugal flow components for hydrodynamic bearing using the blood itself, drawing on the principles disclosed in WO 01/70300 A1 to achieve non-contact operation, which is highly desirable for blood pumps. The specific choice of radial outflow would be a design optimization by a PHOSITA to suit the intravasal environment and flow characteristics.
• Adapt the existing external control unit (from AT 407 960 B / US6506146B1) to regulate the internal magnetic drive.

Therefore, the combination of AT 407 960 B (or US6506146B1) with WO 01/70300 A1, in view of general knowledge regarding magnetic couplings, catheter-based drive systems, and blood pump design principles, would render Claim 1 of US11376415 obvious to a PHOSITA. The motivation lies in the clear desire to overcome the limitations of external pumps and develop a more advanced, integrated, and minimally invasive heart assist device.