Implantable heart assist system and method of applying same

• US 20060270893A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Thoratec LLC
• Inventors: Bolling, Steven F., Viole, Anthony, O'Leary, Shawn
• Granted Patent: US 7,614,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3621 Extra-corporeal blood circuits single-needle circuits A61M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3623 Means for actively controlling temperature of blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3653 Interfaces between patient blood circulation and extra-corporal blood circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3655 Arterio-venous shunts or fistulae
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3659 Cannulae pertaining to extracorporeal circulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/04 Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0026 Multi-lumen catheters with stationary elements catheter assemblies comprising a catheter in combination with a guide tube, sheath or sleeve A61M2025/0681; catheters comprising telescoping coaxial elements A61M2025/0175
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/003 characterized by features relating to least one lumen located at the distal part of the catheter, e.g. filters, plugs or valves catheter tips A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/007 Side holes, e.g. their profiles or arrangements; Provisions to keep side holes unblocked
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/117 for assisting the heart, e.g. transcutaneous or external ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/152 branching on and drawing blood from a blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/178 drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to the ventricle, e.g. left or right ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/232 Centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/237 the blood flow through the rotating member having mainly axial components, e.g. axial flow pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/274 the inlet and outlet being the same, e.g. para-aortic counter-pulsation blood pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/414 transmitted by a rotating cable, e.g. for blood pumps mounted on a catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/569 synchronous with the native heart beat
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/859 Connections therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/861 Connections or anchorings for connecting or anchoring pumps or pumping devices to parts of the patient's body

Abstract

An extracardiac pumping for supplementing the circulation of blood, including the cardiac output, in a patient without any component thereof being connected to the patient'"'"'s heart, and methods of using same. One embodiment provides a vascular graft that has a first end that is sized and configured to couple to a non-primary blood vessel and a second end that is fluidly coupled to a pump to conduct blood between the pump and the non-primary blood vessel. An outflow conduit is also provided that has a first end sized and configured to be positioned within the same or different blood vessel, whether primary or non-primary, through the vascular graft. The outflow conduit is fluidly coupled to the pump to conduct blood between the pump and the patient. The vascular graft may be connected to the blood vessel subcutaneously to permit application of the extracardiac pumping system in a minimally-invasive procedure.

Claims

1. A method for supplementing the circulation of blood through a patient without connecting any component to the patient'"'"'s heart, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a pump having an inflow conduit and an outflow conduit;

providing fluid communication between a distal end of the inflow conduit and a first blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood to the pump from the first blood vessel;

inserting a cannula coupled with the outflow conduit into a second blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood away from the pump to the second blood vessel;

operating said pump to perfuse blood through the patient'"'"'s circulatory system at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing fluid communication between the distal end of the inflow conduit and the fist blood vessel includes forming an anastomosis connection at the first blood vessel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing fluid communication between the distal end of the inflow conduit and the fist blood vessel includes inserting a cannula into the first blood vessel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second blood vessels is a femoral artery.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising advancing the cannula coupled with the outflow conduit into the aorta.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising advancing the cannula coupled with the outflow conduit to a location within the vasculature proximal a subclavian artery.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inflow and the outflow conduits has an inner diameter no greater than about 25 millimeters.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising advancing the cannula to a location upstream from where the cannula is inserted into said blood vessel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the cannula further comprises further piercing the second blood vessel with the distal end of the cannula.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the cannula further comprises inserting the distal end of the cannula into the second blood vessel through an introducer sheath.

11. A method for supplementing the circulation of blood through a patient without connecting any component to the patient'"'"'s heart, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a pump having an inflow conduit and an outflow conduit;

providing fluid communication between a distal end of the inflow conduit and a first blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood to the pump from the first blood vessel;

providing fluid communication between a distal end of the outflow conduit and a second blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood away from the pump to the second blood vessel;

operating said pump to perfuse blood through the patient'"'"'s circulatory system at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing fluid communication between the distal end of the outflow conduit comprises inserting a cannula coupled therewith into the second blood vessel.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein providing fluid communication between the distal end of the inflow conduit comprises inserting a cannula coupled therewith into the first blood vessel.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein inserting the cannula further comprises further piercing the second blood vessel with the distal end of the cannula.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein inserting the cannula further comprises inserting the distal end of the cannula into the second blood vessel through an introducer sheath.

16. A method for supplementing the circulation of blood through a patient'"'"'s vasculature without connecting any component to the patient'"'"'s heart, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a pump having an inflow conduit and an outflow conduit;

providing fluid communication between a distal end of the inflow conduit and the vasculature via a first blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood to the pump from the vasculature;

providing fluid communication between a distal end of the outflow conduit and the vasculature via a second blood vessel that is not a primary blood vessel using a minimally invasive surgical procedure to permit the flow of blood away from the pump to the vasculature;

operating said pump to perfuse blood through the patient'"'"'s circulatory system at volumetric rates that are on average subcardiac;

wherein fluid communication is provided with at least one of said first and said second blood vessels through an introducer sheath.