Patent ID: 7591778

Claim:
A pumping system for supplementing blood circulation through a patient experiencing congestive heart failure without any component thereof being connected to the left ventricle of the patient, the system comprising: a pump configured to pump blood through the patient at a rate of about 3 L/Min or less, an inflow conduit fluidly coupled to the pump to direct blood to the pump from the cardiovascular system, the inflow conduit having a first end configured to enable fluid communication between the inflow conduit and the cardiovascular system without connection to the left ventricle of the patient; and an outflow conduit fluidly coupled to the pump to direct blood from the pump to the vasculature, the outflow conduit having a first end configured to enable fluid communication between the outflow conduit and the vasculature via a second blood vessel that is not directly connected to the heart; wherein at least one of the inflow conduit and the outflow conduit are sized and configured to be implantable using a minimally-invasive surgical procedure, and whereby fluid communication between the first ends of at least one of the inflow and outflow conduits and the vasculature may be made subcutaneously to permit application of the connections in a minimally-invasive procedure.