Cardioscopy

• US 20060269444A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brigham and Women's Hospital Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Brigham and Women's Hospital Incorporated
• Inventors: Mihaljevic, Tomislav, Cohn, Lawrence H., Farivar, Saeid R.
• Application Number:
  US10/595,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20060269444A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/3137 for examination of the interior of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1698 Blood oxygenators with or without heat-exchangers intracorporal A61M1/1678; manufacturing of membranes therefor B01D67/00; semi-permeable membranes for separation processes characterised by their properties B01D69/00; semi-permeable membranes characterised by their material B01D71/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3621 Extra-corporeal blood circuits single-needle circuits A61M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3653 Interfaces between patient blood circulation and extra-corporal blood circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3659 Cannulae pertaining to extracorporeal circulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3666 Cardiac or cardiopulmonary bypass, e.g. heart-lung machines
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3667 with assisted venous return
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0476 Oxygenated solutions

Abstract

A method of cardioscopy may include creating a primary heart bypass circuit for perfusing an organism, creating a secondary circuit for perfusing the heart of the organism with a non-observation-impairing pumping medium, and observing the heart through the secondary circuit. A cardioscopy apparatus may include a primary heart bypass circuit for perfusing an organism, a secondary circuit for perfusing the heart of the organism with a non-observation-impairing pumping medium, and an observation device for observing the heart through the secondary circuit.

Claims

1. A method of cardioscopy, comprising:

creating a primary heart bypass circuit for perfusing an organism;

creating a secondary circuit for perfusing the heart of the organism with a non-observation-impairing pumping medium; and

observing the heart through the secondary circuit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the heart to continue beating.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pumping medium is oxygenatable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the organism is perfused with blood.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the primary heart bypass circuit includes receiving blood from a vena cava and returning blood to the aorta.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the primary heart bypass circuit includes perfusing a coronary blood vessel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary circuit is fluidically isolated from the primary heart bypass circuit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the second circuit includes continuously perfusing the heart.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the secondary circuit includes perfusing a chamber of the heart.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the secondary circuit includes perfusing a coronary blood vessel.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the secondary circuit includes receiving the pumping medium from the aorta and returning the pumping medium to a vena cava.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the pumping medium is optically clear.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the optically clear pumping medium is oxygenatable.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the pumping medium is translucent.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the pumping medium is non-turbid.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the pumping medium includes a fluorocarbon.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the fluorocarbon is perflurocarbon.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein observing includes visualizing the heart through a catheter.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein observing includes visualizing with an angioscope.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein observing includes visualizing with an endoscope.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein observing includes observing a heart chamber.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein observing includes observing a heart valve.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing an intracardiac procedure.

24. A cardioscopy apparatus, comprising:

a primary heart bypass circuit for perfusing an organism;

a secondary circuit for perfusing the heart of the organism with a non-observation-impairing pumping medium; and

an observation device for observing the heart through the secondary circuit.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the pumping medium is oxygenatable.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the organism is perfused with blood.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the primary heart bypass circuit receives blood from a vena cava and returns blood to the aorta.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the primary heart bypass circuit perfuses a coronary blood vessel.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the secondary circuit is fluidically isolated from the primary heart bypass circuit.

30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second circuit continuously perfuses the heart.

31. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the secondary circuit perfuses a chamber of the heart.

32. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the secondary circuit perfuses a coronary blood vessel.

33. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the secondary circuit receives the pumping medium from the aorta and returns the pumping medium to a vena cava.

34. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the pumping medium is optically clear.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the optically clear pumping medium is oxygenatable.

36. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the pumping medium is translucent.

37. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the pumping medium is non-turbid.

38. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the pumping medium includes a fluorocarbon.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the fluorocarbon is perfluorocarbon.

40. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the observation device comprises an intracardiac visualization device.

41. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the observation device comprises a catheter.

42. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the observation device comprises an angioscope.

43. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the observation device comprises an endoscope.

44. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising an intracardiac procedure device.