Patent ID: 8784291

Claim:
A method of implanting a circulatory assist system for assisting a flow of blood through a patient circulatory system, the circulatory assist system comprising a cannula assembly for directing blood from a heart of a patient, the cannula assembly comprising a flexible cannula body including a proximal portion and a distal portion and a lumen therebetween, a tip coupled with the distal portion of the flexible cannula body, and first and second anchors coupled with the tip and each of the first and second anchors being configured to be deployed from a contracted state to an expanded state, wherein the first and second anchors are configured to engage opposite sides of a heart tissue in the expanded state; the method comprising: directing a guide-element into a left atrium; inserting a delivery system including the cannula assembly over the guide-element and into the left atrium, wherein the delivery system includes a delivery sheath configured to receive the flexible cannula body for movement relative thereto; moving the cannula assembly relative to the delivery sheath so as to deploy the first anchor from the contracted state into the expanded state thereby engaging the heart tissue; and retracting the delivery sheath so as to deploy the second anchor from the contracted state into the expanded state and thereby engaging the heart tissue.