Patent ID: 7004925

Claim:
An apparatus for automatically retroperfusing a coronary vein with oxygenated blood from an artery, said apparatus comprising: an intraluminal cannula having a main body portion extending between a proximal end portion and a distal end portion; said proximal end portion being configured to connect to an artery outside of the pericardium to automatically supply oxygenated blood from the artery for retroperfusion of the coronary vein; said main body portion and said distal end portion being insertable through a vein that is fluidly connected with the coronary vein to be retroperfused and into the coronary vein; an expandable stent attached to said distal end portion of said cannula for expanding radially into engagement with the interior wall of the coronary vein to secure the distal end portion at a location within the coronary vein; and occluding means for at least partially occluding the coronary vein to decrease the back-flow of blood into the right atrium during retroperfusion, said occluding means being located at said distal end portion of said cannula.