Endovascular system for arresting the heart

Abstract

Abstract The invention provides an endovascular device (20) for partitioning the ascending aorta and a system for arresting the heart to facilitate the performance of precedures such as heart valve replacement or coronary artery bypass grafting without the need for a thoracotomy. According to the invention, an endovascular device (20) for partitioning a patient's ascending aorta comprises a flexible shaft (22) having a distal end (24), a proximal end (26), and a first inner lumen (29) therebetween with an opening (31) at the distal end (24). The shaft (22) may have a preshaped distal portion (32) with a curvature generally corresponding to the curvature of the patient's aortic arch. Expandable means (28) are disposed near the distal end (24) of the shaft (22) proximal to the opening (31) in the first inner lumen (29) for occluding the ascending aorta so as to block substantially all blood flow therethrough for a plurality of cardiac cycles. Means (90) for delivering cardioplegic fluid may be connected to the proximal end (26) of the device to infuse cardioplegic fluid into the coronary arteries for arresting the heart. The endovascular device of the invention is readily positionable in the ascending aorta, resists displacement caused by systolic blood flow, and maintains axial alignment with the center of the ascending aorta and aortic valve.

Inventors

• 👤 Philip C Evard
• 👤 Timothy R. Machold
• 👤 John H. Stevens

Bibliographic Details