A heart assist device comprising a rotary pump housing having a cylindrical bore, a pumping chamber and a motor stator including an electrically conductive coil located within the housing and surrounding a portion of the cylindrical bore. A rotor has a cylindrical shaft, at least one impeller appended to one end of the shaft, and a plurality of magnets located within the shaft. The rotor shaft is positioned within the housing bore with the magnets opposite the motor stator, and the impeller is positioned within the pumping chamber. The housing bore is closely fitted to the outer surface of the shaft forming a hydrodynamic journal bearing, with the pumping chamber and journal bearing connected by a leak path of blood flow between the pumping chamber and the journal bearing. A backiron of the motor stator attracts the rotor magnets to resist longitudinal displacement of the rotor within the housing during operation. The relative orientation of positions of the inflow, outflow, and leakage flow paths may be varied within the pump, such as to accommodate different intended methods for implantation and/or use.
