Methods and devices for maintaining cardiopulmonary bypass and arresting a patient's heart

A method of withdrawing and returning blood to a patient supported by a cardiopulmonary bypass system, comprising the steps of:

• passing a first lumen and a second lumen through an opening in a patient's artery, the first lumen having an occluding member mounted thereto, the occluding member being movable between a collapsed condition and an expanded condition;
• inserting a venous cannula into a vein of the patient;
• coupling the venous cannula to a venous line;
• withdrawing blood from the patient through the venous cannula and the venous line;
• returning the blood to the patient through an arterial line coupled to the second lumen;
• positioning the occluding member in the patient's ascending aorta;
• expanding the occluding member to occlude the patient's ascending aorta delivering cardioplegic fluid through the first lumen to thereby arrest the patient's heart;
• providing a blood storage element having an inlet and an outlet;
• fluidly coupling the inlet of the blood storage element to the arterial line;
• and
• selectively changing a volume of blood in the blood storage element.

An endovascular bypass system, comprising:

• an aortic occlusion device having a lumen and an occluding member, the occluding member being sized and configured to occlude a patient's ascending aorta;
• a venous cannula having a lumen for withdrawing blood from the patient;
• a manifold having first and second valves and first and second valve controls for controlling the first and second valves;
• a vent line extending between the lumen of the aortic occlusion device to the manifold;
• and
• a venous line extending from the venous cannula to the manifold;
• the first and second valves being positioned to regulate flows through the first and second lines, respectively.

A method of arresting a patient's heart and maintaining bypass support, comprising the steps of:

• inserting a venous cannula into a vein of a patient;
• coupling the venous cannula to an inlet of a pump, the pump having an outlet;
• withdrawing blood from the patient through the venous cannula using the pump;
• fluidly coupling the outlet of the pump to an arterial cannula through an arterial line;
• returning blood to the patient through the arterial cannula;
• inserting an aortic occlusion device through an artery of the patient, the aortic occlusion device having an occluding member;
• expanding the occluding member in the patient's ascending aorta thereby occluding the ascending aorta;
• delivering cardioplegic fluid to the ascending aorta through a lumen in the aortic occlusion device;
• and
• coupling the lumen of the aortic occlusion device to the pump intake.