A blood pump intended to be carried by a freely moving patient uses
perpendicular magnetic and electrical fields to propel blood. A rod
mounted coaxially inside a tube has electrodes in blood contact for
establishing a radial electric field, and an inductor having windings
parallel to the axis of the tube is used to establish a circumferential
magnetic field. To avoid the evolution of gas at the electrode surfaces
the magnetic and electric fields are periodically reversed, and the
electrodes are made to have very high surface areas. The blood pump is
powered by batteries or fuel cells (or a combination of both) to provide
long service between recharging and to reduce the weight carried by the
patient.