Patent ID: 6610004
Filing Date: 2003-08-26
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
A method for supplementing the circulation of blood through a patient without connecting any component to the patient's heart, the method comprising the steps of:connecting a distal end of an inflow conduit of a rotary pump to a first blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel with a conduit having an inner diameter no greater than about 25 millimeters using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood to the pump from the first blood vessel, said pump configured to pump blood at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac, wherein the step of connecting the inflow conduit to the first blood vessel comprises using a cannula that projects into the first blood vessel so as to draw blood from a point downstream of the point of blood vessel penetration; connecting a distal end of an outflow conduit of the pump to a second blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel with a conduit having an inner diameter no greater than about 25 millimeters using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood away from the pump to the second blood vessel; and operating said pump to perfuse blood through the patient's circulatory system at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac.