Described herein, in some aspects, are systems and methods for treating aortic aneurysms. In some embodiments, a method of treating an aortic aneurysm in a subject comprises: advancing a shunt through a venous puncture site of a vein to access an arterial puncture site of an artery, the arterial puncture site disposed within the aortic aneurysm or upstream of the aortic aneurysm; and securing the shunt to the artery and vein by deploying i) an arterial sealing structure coupled to a distal end of the shunt, and ii) deploying a venous sealing structure coupled to a proximal end of the shunt, thereby enabling fluid to flow from the artery to the vein. In some embodiments, a method of treating an aortic aneurysm in a subject comprises: implanting a graft within a subject to at least partially bypass a fluid flow through an artery around the aortic aneurysm, the graft having a lumen therein.

An implantable device, adapted for assisting the flow of blood from left atrium to an aorta of an in-vivo heart, includes an inlet cannula and an outlet cannula in fluid communication with an implanted blood pressure pump. A first accelerometer is mounted on a housing of the blood pressure pump and is adapted for measuring mitral valve motion. An external controller is in electrical communication with at least one implanted ECG sensor adapted for detecting ECG signals. The at least one implanted ECG sensor is positioned between the implanted blood pressure pump and the external controller. The external controller includes a processor adapted to analyse detected ECG signals and the mitral valve motion. The processor dynamically adjusts a target blood pressure pump speed based on ECG signals and the mitral valve motion such that blood flows from left atrium to left ventricle and then to the aorta.

In one embodiment, the present invention is a method of positioning in a mammalian heart of a patient a blood pump including an inflow cannula, a pump housing and an outflow cannula, the method including forming an incision in a low-pressure location on the heart wall; passing the outflow cannula of the blood pump through the incision and into a left ventricle of a heart; positioning a tip of a guidewire into an aorta, distal to an aortic valve; advancing the tip through the aortic valve and into the left ventricle; connecting the tip to the outflow cannula; pulling the blood pump with the guidewire to advance at least a portion of the outflow cannula through the aortic valve and into the aorta; securing the blood pump to the heart, the aorta, or both; disconnecting the tip from the blood pump; and removing the guidewire from the patient.

A catheter includes a catheter body having a proximal end, a beveled distal end, and a lumen therethrough. The beveled distal end defines an elliptical port for releasing contrast or other media through the lumen and from the elliptical port. The catheter may also be used delivering devices or for aspirating or extracting materials from the vasculature or other body lumens. A fixed guidewire extends distally from the distal end of the catheter body, typically from the distal-most edge of the elliptical port. The fixed wire is typically malleable so that it can be manually formed into a desired shape. The elliptical port may be flat or concave.

A catheter assembly includes an outer catheter that includes a tubular outer catheter body and an outer catheter hub, and an inner catheter that includes an inner catheter body and an inner catheter hub. The inner catheter body is positionable in the outer catheter body, and the outer catheter hub is connectable to the inner catheter hub. The inner catheter body includes a shaft extending from the inner catheter hub, and a tubular body disposed at the distal end of the shaft and possessing an inner catheter lumen. When the outer catheter hub is connected to the inner catheter hub, a portion of the tubular body is distal of the distal-most end of the outer catheter body, a portion of the tubular body is distal of the proximal-most end of the outer catheter body, and a proximal end portion of the tubular body is in the outer catheter lumen.

Catheters for infusion of cardiovascular fluids into blood are disclosed. The cardiovascular fluid may, for example, comprise water highly supersaturated with a gas such as oxygen. Each catheter comprises one or more capillary tubings (or capillaries) through which a cardiovascular fluid flows. The distal end of each capillary is mounted (e.g., potted) preferably flush with an external surface of a catheter sidewall, while the proximal end of each capillary is in fluid communication with a cardiovascular fluid flowing through the lumen of the catheter. The combination of the catheter shape and the orientation of the distal end of each capillary relative to the longitudinal axis of the catheter provides control over the mixing pattern of the cardiovascular fluid with blood flowing within a vascular space such as an aorta.

A device for removing air from an anatomical cavity in a surgical intervention, comprising a flexible catheter with one or more lumens having a proximal end and a distal end, each lumen having one or more holes at a terminal portion of the catheter comprising the distal end, there being further provided an aspiration means for aspirating air from the anatomical cavity, an insufflation means for insufflating, into the anatomical cavity, an air replacement gas having a higher density than air, and a means for lifting said terminal portion of the catheter for the placement thereof at the top of the anatomical cavity, the insufflation means and said aspiration means being connected to the proximal end of the catheter.

Apparatus and methods are provided, including a left-ventricular assist device that includes an impeller configured for insertion into a subject's left ventricle. A delivery tube passes through the subject's aorta, from outside the subject into the left ventricle. The delivery tube includes an outer layer that varies along a length of the delivery tube such that a flexural rigidity of the delivery tube at a first portion of the delivery tube, which is configured to traverse the aortic valve, is less than the flexural rigidity at a second portion, which is configured to traverse at least a portion of the aortic arch, and the flexural rigidity at the second portion is less than the flexural rigidity at a third portion, which is configured to traverse the descending aorta. Other applications are also described.

Apparatus and methods are described including a blood pump that includes an axial shaft configured for insertion into, and rotation within, a left ventricle of a subject, and an impeller coupled to the axial shaft such that, as the axial shaft rotates, the impeller pumps blood from the left ventricle. A frame surrounds the impeller and a tip portion is coupled to a distal end of the frame. The tip portion includes a distal curved portion, which, when deployed within the left ventricle, lies in a plane, and a proximal curved portion, which, when deployed within the left ventricle, does not lie in the plane and is curved such that, following the insertion of the axial shaft into the left ventricle via an aorta of the subject, a distal end of the proximal curved portion points toward an apex of the left ventricle. Other applications are also described.

Apparatus and methods are described including a left-ventricular assist device, that includes a collapsible pump-outlet tube configured for insertion, through an aorta of a subject, into a left ventricle of a heart of the subject such that the pump-outlet tube traverses an aortic valve of the subject. The device includes one or more bands, each of which is bonded to an outer wall of the proximal portion of the pump-outlet tube, without extending around a full circumference of the pump-outlet tube, such that, while the proximal portion of the pump-outlet tube is maintained in the open state, the proximal portion of the pump-outlet tube curves at respective locations of the bands. Other applications are also described.