Patent ID: 7758531

Claim:
A method of perfusing a kidney of a patient with the patient's blood, comprising: providing a catheter comprising: a conduit; an inlet region defining at least one inlet port, a first end of the inlet port connected to a distal end of the conduit; an outlet region defining an outlet port; a lumen extending between the at least one inlet port and the outlet port; a rotor mounted therein the inlet portion proximate the at least one inlet port, wherein the rotor is configured for selective rotation to pump fluid at a desired pressure from the at least one inlet port and out of the outlet port; and a wire connected to the bottom end of the rotor such that rotation of the wire imparts a complementary rotation of the rotor, wherein the wire is sheathed at least partially by the conduit; providing a power source that is operatively coupled to the wire; advancing the catheter percutaneously and transluminally along a guidewire to dispose the at least one inlet port in a source of arterial blood proximate the patient's renal artery; inserting a portion of the outlet region into a portion of the renal artery while maintaining blood flow through the source of arterial blood and the renal artery; engaging the outlet region within the patient's renal artery by selectively occluding the renal artery such that blood exiting the lumen through the outlet port is substantially blocked from flowing out of the renal artery; and selectively actuating the power source to control a pressure and a rate of blood flow through the lumen and into the renal artery of the kidney.