Transluminally deliverable vascular blockers and methods for facilitating retrograde flow of arterial blood through veins

A system for blocking blood flow through the lumen of a blood vessel, said system comprising:

• a) a delivery catheter that comprises an elongate tubular catheter body having a lumen extending longitudinally therethrough;
• b) a lumen occluding device that is positionable within the lumen of the catheter while in a radially collapsed configuration and thereafter expellable out of the catheter and into the lumen of a blood vessel in which the catheter is positioned, such that the lumen occluding device will assume its radially expanded configuration and become implanted within the lumen of the blood vessel, said lumen occluding device comprising
• i) a generally cylindrical frame that is disposable in a radially compact configuration of a first diameter and is transitionable to a radially expanded configuration of a second diameter;
• and
• ii) a lumen occluding barrier attached to the frame, said lumen occluding barrier being configured such that, when the device is implanted in the lumen of a blood vessel with the frame in its radially expanded configuration, the occluding barrier will substantially block blood flow through that blood vessel lumen, a guidewire passage aperture being formed in said occluding barrier so that a guidewire may pass therethrough, the device being thereby advanceable over a guidewire that has previously been inserted into the blood vessel;
• and
• a lumen occluding device introduction apparatus comprising a substantially rigid body having a tapered lumen, said tapered lumen having a first end and a second end, the first end of said tapered lumen being larger in diameter than the second end, said introduction device being connectable to the delivery catheter;
• said lumen occluding device being insertable, while in its radially expanded configuration, into the first end of the tapered lumen of the introduction apparatus and, thereafter, advanceable from the first end of the tapered lumen to the second end of the tapered lumen such that the decrease in diameter of the tapered lumen will compress the lumen occluding device to its radially collapsed configuration, said lumen occluding device being thereafter advanceable, while in its radially collapsed configuration, into the lumen of the delivery catheter.