Methods and devices for occluding a vessel and performing differential perfusion

An aortic catheter for segmenting and selectively perfusing an aorta comprising:

• (a) an elongated shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, said elongated shaft of sufficient length to be inserted into an ascending aorta and guided transluminally such that the distal end is positioned in a descending aorta when in an operative position;
• (b) a flow control regulator positioned on said elongated shaft such that when said distal end is in the operative position said flow control regulator is capable of at least partially occluding the descending aorta;
• (c) a proximal portion of said elongated shaft having a corporeal perfusion lumen and an arch perfusion lumen, said arch perfusion lumen terminating as at least one or more arch perfusion port proximate to a patient's arch vessels;
• and
• (d) a distal portion of said elongated shaft extending beyond said proximal portion, terminating as at least one or more corporeal perfusion port distal to said flow control regulator.

A method for segmenting and selectively perfusing an aorta of a patient comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an aortic catheter having a corporeal perfusion lumen in fluid communication with a corporeal perfusion port, an arch perfusion lumen in fluid communication with an arch perfusion port, and a flow control regulator positioned between said corporeal perfusion port and said arch perfusion port;
• (b) extending an elongated shaft of said aortic catheter transluminally to the descending aorta downstream of the left subclavian artery;
• (c) occluding the ascending aorta to prohibit substantial blood flow in the patient's ascending aorta;
• (d) actuating said flow control regulator to prohibit substantial blood flow in the patient's descending aorta;
• and
• (e) coupling said arch perfusion lumen and said corporeal perfusion lumen to an oxygenation pump to provide differential perfusion to a patient through said arch perfusion port and said corporeal perfusion port.

A method for segmenting and selectively perfusing an aorta comprising the steps

• (a) inserting a distal end of an aortic catheter into the ascending aorta;
• (b) extending an elongated shaft of the aortic catheter transluminally past the aortic arch such that a flow control regulator mounted on said elongated shaft proximal to said distal end is positioned in the descending aorta downstream of the left subclavian artery;
• (c) occluding the ascending aorta prohibiting substantial blood flow;
• (d) arresting the heart;
• (e) actuating the flow control regulator prohibiting substantial blood flow in the descending aorta;
• thereby segmenting the aorta into an aortic arch perfusion site upstream of the flow control regulator and a downstream corporeal perfusion site downstream to said flow control regulator;
• (f) withdrawing blood from the patient through a venous cannula;
• oxygenating the withdrawn blood;
• and
• (g) perfusing the aortic arch with cold oxygenated blood through an arch perfusion port and perfusing the corporeal body with normothermic oxygenated blood through a corporeal perfusion port.

A method for selectively perfusing a patient's aorta comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an aortic catheter having a corporeal perfusion lumen and an arch perfusion lumen, said corporeal perfusion lumen terminating as at least one corporeal perfusion port and said arch perfusion lumen terminating as at least one corporeal perfusion port;
• (b) introducing said aortic catheter into the ascending aorta of a patient;
• (c) navigating said aortic catheter through the aortic lumen of a patient until said at least one arch perfusion port is positioned proximate to the arch vessels and said at least one corporeal perfusion port is positioned in the descending aorta;
• (d) occluding the ascending aorta substantially impairing at least some blood flow;
• (e) arresting the heart;
• (f) withdrawing blood from the patient through a venous cannula;
• (g) oxygenating the withdrawn blood;
• and
• (h) perfusing the aortic arch vessels with cold oxygenated blood through said at least one arch perfusion port and perfusing the corporeal circulation with normothermic oxygenated fluid through said at least one corporeal perfusion port.

An aortic catheter system for segmenting and selectively perfusing a patient's aorta comprising:

• an elongated shaft having a blood flow lumen in fluid communication with an arch perfusion port and a corporeal perfusion port, a flow control regulator positioned between said arch perfusion port and said corporeal perfusion port, said elongated shaft configured to be advanced transluminally such that when in the operative position said flow control regulator resides in the descending aorta and is configured to prohibit substantial blood flow in the aorta;
• means for providing oxygenated blood to the patient;
• and
• means for at least partially occluding the ascending aorta.

A method for segmenting, selectively perfusing and arresting a patient's heart comprising the steps of:

• (a) inserting a distal end of an aortic catheter into the ascending aorta;
• (b) extending an elongated shaft of the aortic catheter transluminally past the aortic arch such that a flow control regulator mounted on said elongated shaft proximal to said distal end is positioned in the descending aorta downstream of the left subclavian artery;
• (c) actuating the flow control regulator prohibiting substantial blood flow in the descending aorta;
• thereby segmenting the aorta into an aortic arch perfusion site upstream of the flow control regulator and a downstream corporeal perfusion site downstream to said flow control regulator;
• (d) perfusing the aortic arch with cold oxygenated blood through an arch perfusion port and perfusing the corporeal body with normothermic oxygenated blood through a corporeal perfusion port;
• and
• (e) arresting a patient's heart.