Patent ID: 7841976

Claim:
An apparatus for inducing motion of a fluid relative to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising: an elongated cannula having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the proximal portion including a conduit having a fixed diameter, and the distal portion including an expandable cannula having a diameter expandable to a diameter greater than the fixed diameter; and an impeller positioned in the elongated cannula and having a deployed configuration and a stored configuration, the impeller including a hub; and a plurality of blades supported by the hub, each blade having a proximal end attached to the hub and a distal end, wherein at least one of the proximal and distal ends of a first blade is at least partially offset along the longitudinal length of the hub from at least one of the proximal and distal ends of a second blade, the blades in the deployed configuration of the impeller extending away from the hub, and the blades in the stored configuration of the impeller being compressed so as to move the distal end of the blade towards the hub.