Creating heart assist devices that help bridge the gap between short and long term care is a tough job. But choosing the right electrical contact can make it a lot easier. That’s why we’ve prepared this short presentation for you. It examines the relationship between electrical contact selection and the performance of VAD devices. It also suggests some ways to make devices more reliable and power efficient while improving speed to market.

2. Slide 2
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Heart Assist Devices
• Help the heart circulate
blood throughout the
body
• Typically consist of a
pump and a power
source/controller
 VAD
• Increasingly targeting
longer-term use –
destination vs. bridge
therapies
Source:
Blausen
Medical
Communications,
Inc.

3. Slide 3
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
The Interconnect: A Critical Link
• Safely and reliably conducts current
from the battery and electronics
through the lead
• Can be incorporated into the device
header, or in the driveline that
connects to an external power
source

4. Slide 4
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Interconnect Operating Requirements
• Interconnect designs must:
 Contribute minimal heat to
protect against tissue
damage
 Use biocompatible
materials that minimize
corrosion in the human
body
 Deliver uninterrupted
current to the pump motor
– typically 5 amps or less
 Function reliably for life of
device (from transplant
bridge to destination
therapy)
 Support both external
power and fully
implantable systems
Image source: Cirtec Medical, Inc. For illustration purposes only
Image
source:
Corvion,
Inc.
For
illustration
purposes
only.

5. Slide 5
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Interconnect Engineering Challenges
• Reduce contact resistance
 Generates heat, which can
compromise patient comfort
and safety
 Impacts device power
efficiency, leading to reduced
battery life, device
performance and reliability
issues
• Minimize corrosion
 Causes device malfunction over
time
 Can require explant and/or
device replacement in some
cases
 Could compromise regulatory
compliance
mΩ
Image
source:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lillian-
Hughes
For
illustration
purposes
only.

6. Slide 6
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Inside The Interconnect:
Contacts & Contact Systems
• These components can efficiently deliver
power to heart assist devices IF they meet
these requirements:
Requirement Success factor
Compact size Short axial length to reduce interconnect size
Reliability Technology that ensures maximum contact point
redundancy, and offers 100% force verification
Corrosion resistance Platinum-iridium for both housing and contact element
Power efficiency Ultra-low contact resistance (<10 mΩ) for optimal signal
integrity, longer device life
Force Contact technology that offers ability to precisely control
contact features and minimize force
Scalability & flexibility Option to “stack” contacts in a serial configuration with
seals for electrical isolation

7. Slide 7
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Bal Conn® Electrical Contact
• Consists of precision-engineered
metal housing w/Bal Spring®
element
 Leverages mechanical and
electrical properties of canted
coil spring
 Multiple coils provide built-in
connection redundancy
 Compact axial length allows more
room for electrical isolation in
allowable window
 20+ years of proven reliability, at
work in millions of devices
worldwide
 Core of the SYGNUS®
implantable
contact system, which combines
Bal Conn w/silicone seals

8. Slide 8
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Bal Conn® Electrical Contact Design
• In VAD applications:
 Creates consistent force
during insertion and
removal by limiting spring
movement
 Reduces contact
resistance with more
points of contact
 Meets requirements for
force and contact
resistance

9. Slide 9
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
SYGNUS® Implantable Contact System
• Combines proven contact
and seal into a “stackable”
serial configuration
• Eliminates need for
separate component
development & testing
• Can improve speed to
market
• Turnkey solution that
accommodates “standard”
& custom lead sizes
 .9mm, 1.3mm & 3.2mm
 Custom pitch capable

10. Slide 10
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Bal Conn® and SYGNUS® : Application Examples
VAD In-line Connections VAD Header Connections

11. Slide 11
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Summary & Recommendations
• To eliminate costly mistakes and delays,
consider electrical contact requirements
as part of overall system design
• In early design stages, collaborate with
Bal Seal Engineering to:
 Custom design components to meet all
your system/application requirements, not
just some
 Produce high-quality prototypes
 Perform testing to verify performance
 Force (spring)
 Conductivity (spring/housing)
 Transition successful prototype to full
production; 100 to 1M+ units

12. Slide 12
June 23 © Copyright, Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. This document contains and/or refers to information that is PROPRIETARY to Bal Seal Engineering, LLC, and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC. Products are the subject of issued or
pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, LLC and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any
other party.
Resources & Contact Information
Mark Russell
Sr. Global Market Manager, Medical Electronics
Bal Seal Engineering
mrussell@balseal.com
+1 630.765.7255
solutions@balseal.co
om
www.balseal.com +1 949.460.2100 Design request form