Patent ID: 8118723

Claim:
A pump-inflow-cannula providing a blood conduit from at least one of a heart or from an associated vessel to an external blood handling system, said pump-inflow-cannula comprising a body, encompassing a substantially axially extending inflow-lumen having a peripheral portion, a distal end for an attachment of the inflow-lumen to said blood handling system and a proximal-end for an introduction of blood from the heart and/or from the associated vessel into the inflow-lumen, at least two spaced-apart projections arranged at the proximal-end for preventing a heart muscle from intruding into the inflow-lumen and terminating in respective free ends of the projections, and a tip-spring engaging the at least two projections to resist flapping during blood passage and/or to provide additional resistance from inward deflection of the heart muscle from intruding into the inflow-lumen, the tip-spring being defined by first and second arcuate spring base segments which are opposite to each other, and embedded in the peripheral portion of the inflow lumen, and first and second, spaced-apart spring arms extending from the spring base segments along the respective projections to a location proximate to and short of the respective free ends of the projections, each spring arm extending from a respective end of one of the first and second spring base segments to a proximate end of the other spring base segment and including a pair of elongated, spaced-apart spring arm portions that extend from the respective ends of the arcuate spring base segments toward ends of the respective projections where the spaced-apart spring arm portions are joined to each other, the spring arms being embedded in the respective projections.