HEART PUMP APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR BEATING HEART SURGERY

摘要

Apparatus (70) for assisting a surgeon in procedures involving the heart (31) and methods of employing such apparatus (70) are provided. The apparatus (70) can include a pump (71), and a first fluid conduit (65) having a distal end adapted to be inserted into the superior vena cava (45) of a beating heart (31), a second fluid conduit (67) having a distal end adapted to be inserted into the inferior vena cava (47), and a third fluid conduit (69) having a distal end adapted to be inserted into the pulmonary artery (53) of the beating heart (31), each in liquid fluid communication with the pump (71), which in combination can be operatively positioned to form a closed cardiac pathway extending from the vena cavae (45, 47) and to the pulmonary artery (53) to thereby convey blood collected from the vena cavae (45, 47) into the pulmonary artery (53), operatively bypassing the right side (33) of the heart (31). The pump (71) is positioned to both convey blood flow from each vena cavae (45, 47) and to the third fluid conduit (69), and to provide a blood reservoir (73) which enables the provision of manual assistance to the blood flow to the lungs when blood flow is insufficient.