A method for priming an extracorporeal blood circuit of an apparatus for extracorporeal treatment of blood comprises: feeding a priming fluid in the extracorporeal blood circuit and into a blood side of a membrane gas exchanger (18); generating a transitory pressurization step or a plurality of transitory pressurization steps in the priming fluid flowing in the blood circuit and in the blood side of the membrane gas exchanger (18).

Disclosed is a cannula to be used in open heart surgery to connect the patient to the heart-lung machine reliably and quickly by extra thoracic cannulation.

A system for calculating cardiac output of a patient on an extracorporeal blood oxygenation circuit includes measuring first oxygenated blood flow rate by a pump in the extracorporeal circuit and a corresponding arterial oxygen saturation and recirculation in the extracorporeal circuit, then changing the pump flow rate, such as decreased, to produce a corresponding change in arterial oxygen saturation (wherein such change is outside of normal operating variances or drift), which change in the arterial oxygen saturation and recirculation are measured. From the first flow rate and the second flow rate along with the corresponding measured recirculation and the arterial oxygen saturation, the CO of the patient can be calculated, without reliance upon a measure of venous oxygen saturation. The system also includes an accommodation of oxygenation by the lungs of the patient during the extracorporeal blood oxygenation.

A percutaneous catheter includes an expansion portion, a shaft portion, and an intermediate portion. The expansion portion includes a first reinforcing body including wires braided so as to intersect with each other. The shaft portion includes a second reinforcing body including the wires braided so as to intersect with each other. The intermediate portion includes a third reinforcing body including the wires braided so as to intersect with each other. The third reinforcing body is configured to have a braiding angle as an inner angle in an axial direction among angles formed by the intersecting wires which is smaller than those of the first reinforcing body and the second reinforcing body.

A blood reservoir may be used in combination with other elements such as a heart lung machine (HLM), oxygenator, heat exchanger, arterial filter and the like to form an extracorporeal blood circuit that may be employed in a procedure such as a bypass procedure. The blood reservoir may be configured to receive, filter and store blood from a number of sources including vent blood (from within the heart), venous blood (from a major vein), purge blood (from a sampling line) and cardiotomy or suction blood (from the surgical field).

A gas delivery device includes a nitric oxide generating system. The system has a medium including i) a source of nitrite ions, or ii) a source of nitrite ions and a Cu(II)-ligand complex. A working electrode is in contact with the medium, wherein i) when the medium includes the source of nitrite ions, the working electrode is a copper containing conductive material or a base material coated with a copper containing conductive material, or ii) when the medium includes the source of nitrite ions and the Cu(II)-ligand complex, the working electrode is platinum, gold, carbon, a carbon coated material, and/or mercury. A reference/counter electrode is in contact with the medium and electrically isolated from the working electrode. An inlet conduit is to deliver oxygen gas to the medium, and an outlet conduit is to transport a stream of oxygen gas and nitric oxide from the medium.

Described are systems and methods for monitoring administration of nitric oxide (NO) to ex vivo fluids. Examples of such fluids include blood in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuits or perfusion fluids used for preserving ex vivo organs prior to transplanting in a recipient. The systems and methods described herein provide for administering nitric oxide to the fluid, monitoring nitric oxide or a nitric oxide marker in the fluid, and adjusting the nitric oxide administration.

A pulmonary artery (PA) via trans-septal to left atrial (LA) percutaneous dual lumen cannulation system which reduce the pressure of the right ventricle provides drainage of pulmonary artery blood with bypassing the lung while return the blood to the Left Atrium (LA) without the need for thoracotomy for a wearable pump less extra corporeal lung assist (pECLA) to remove CO.sub.2, pump less extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), para-corporeal pump driven CO.sub.2 removal, extra corporeal CO.sub.2 removal (ECCO.sub.2R) pump driven, para-corporeal pump driven membrane oxygenation, or extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with extra-corporeal pump. By establishing percutaneously a shunt with a dual lumen cannula between PA and LA using the PA-LA pressure gradient as the driving force for the blood flow through the drainage lumen, CO.sub.2 removal device, or oxygenator and return cannula lumen in the vascular system.

A cannula for the circulation of a fluid in an artery, includes a main lumen conveying a volume of fluid towards a first distal end; an accessory lumen including at least one inner portion arranged inside the main lumen, including: a proximal end situated downstream from the proximal end of the main lumen so as to capture a fraction of the flow of fluid entering the main lumen; a bent portion modifying the direction of flow of the fluid flow captured by the accessory lumen with respect to the direction of flow of the fluid emerging from the first end; a second distal end situated upstream from the first distal end of the main lumen, emerging on a side opening of the cannula so as to direct the captured fraction of liquid in the modified direction of flow.

A highly portable advanced adult and pediatric compact ECLS system is based around an integrated pump-oxygenator. The system includes a central a blood inlet and flow path extending along a general longitudinal axis of the system; a pump housing defining a pump inlet in fluid communication with the central blood flow path; an impeller rotationally received within the area of the pump inlet, wherein the impeller is magnetically supported and magnetically driven; an array of hollow fiber membranes configured for gas transfer within the system for oxygenation of blood flowing across the hollow fiber membranes, wherein the membranes include a covalently-bonded heparin-based bioactive surface, and wherein the blood flow path extends from the impeller to a position to flow perpendicular over the array of hollow fiber membranes; and a blood outlet configured to receive blood flowing past the array of hollow fiber membranes.