Patent ID: 7766853

Claim:
A system of cannulation for perfusing a patient's arterial system so as to stimulate the growth of blood vessels, said system of cannulation being adapted for connection to a blood pump, the system of cannulation comprising: (i) an inflow cannula having a first end adapted to be connected to said arterial system and a second end adapted to be connected to the blood pump, the inflow cannula including a first slidable plunger operable to open and close the inflow cannula and being intermediate the first and second ends of the inflow cannula, (ii) an outflow cannula having a first end adapted to be connected to the blood pump and a second end adapted to be connected to said arterial system at a location downstream from the first end of the inflow cannula, the outflow cannula including a second slidable plunger operable to open and close the outflow cannula and being intermediate the first and second ends of the outflow cannula, the arrangement being such that blood flow from the pump is in series with the normal blood flow of the arterial system of the patient and is increased by operation of the pump when the inflow and outflow cannulas are open so as to create a localized region of hypertension for stimulating the growth of blood vessels in the arterial system requiring perfusion, wherein an occlusion device is inserted between a high and a low pressure side of the system, and wherein the system supplies a continuous supra-systolic pressure of blood flow in both systole and diastole.