Patent ID: 6148825
Filing Date: 2000-11-21
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
A pericardial method of inserting a by pass shunt into the atrio-venous system through the right atrium of the heart to ensure a continuous flow of blood through said atrio-venous system during surgery on the retro hepatic vena cava, the liver and blood vessels by occluding the flow of blood into said retro hepatic vena cava and diverting blood from the renal veins and the inferior vena cava through said by pass shunt into the right atrium comprising the steps of:providing a closed end flexible by pass shunt having a pair of openings, one of which is for the right atrium, the atrial opening and the other for the inferior vena cava, the vena cava opening, said pair of openings are connected to each other by a central conduit of said shunt so that blood can enter into said shunt through said vena caval opening and exit through said atrial opening and including at least two fluid conduit ducts within the wall of said shunt which are connected to external ports in the proximal end of the shunt for introducing and withdrawing fluids to at least two expandable and collapsible balloons which encircle said flexible shunt externally and are connected to said external ports and wherein said shunt is symmetrical on its mid-horizontal axis;performing an atriotomy of the right atrium of the heart to insert and seat said shunt into a fixed position proximally within the right atrium and distally within the retro hepatic vena cava;ligating the wall of the heart at the entrance point of said shunt into said right atrium of the heart and positioning said shunt in a fixed position within said right atrium and said retro hepatic vena cava so that one of said balloons encircling said shunt rests in said right atrium and the other is in the inferior vena cava;partially inflating said balloon in said right atrium then digitally sensing the site of the atriocaval junction at the base of said balloon in said right atrium;ligating, intrapericardially, the suprahepatic inferior vena cava around said shunt at the atriocaval junction to prevent the reflux of blood from the heart into said retro hepatic vena cava and to fixate said shunt within the venous system so that the distal portion of said shunt lies within the inferior vena cava;inflating the balloon proximal to said renal veins to occlude the flow of blood from said renal veins and said inferior vena cava into said retro hepatic vena cava thereby causing blood to be diverted into said vena caval opening of said shunt through said shunt and out of said atrial opening into said right atrium.