A disposable fluid pump is provided with a housing including first and second faces, with a sidewall extending between the first and second faces. The housing defines a chamber, with an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the chamber. An impeller is rotatably mounted within the chamber and includes a plurality of flexible vanes. Such a pump may be incorporated into a disposable fluid flow circuit that is adapted to be mounted on a durable hardware for processing a fluid. In such a fluid flow circuit, the fluid pump may be integrated into a cassette of the circuit or, alternatively, the inlet and outlet of the fluid pump may be directly connected to fluid flow conduits of the circuit.

Systems and methods are provided for treating conditions such as heart failure and/or pulmonary hypertension by at least partially occluding flow through the superior vena cava for an interval spanning multiple cardiac cycles. A catheter with an occlusion device is provided along with a controller that actuates a drive mechanism to provide at least partial occlusion of the patient's superior vena cava, which reduces cardiac filling pressures, and induces a favorable shift in the patient's Frank-Starling curve towards healthy heart functionality and improved cardiac performance. The system may include sensors to determine the degree of occlusion of the superior vena cava. The occlusion system may be used to reduce volume in a heart and facilitate a cardiac procedure. The occlusion system may be used to relieve an overloaded chamber during and/or after deploying a VAD.

A system or device for isolating pulmonary pressure from left atrial pressure and/or improving cardiac output. The device may be an implantable cardiac device comprising an intravascular shield. The system may comprise an intravascular shield and a trans-septal delivery sheath. The intravascular shield can be sized and configured to be positioned in a pulmonary vein or a left atrium to restrict fluid flow from the left atrium through one or more pulmonary veins to the lungs while allowing fluid flow from the lungs through the one or more pulmonary veins to the left atrium. The trans-septal delivery sheath can be configured to contain the intravascular shield in a collapsed configuration and deliver the intravascular shield to the left atrium.

A circulatory assist apparatus comprising: an inflatable pumping balloon having a proximal end joined to an elongated balloon catheter, the balloon catheter having a distal end joined to the pumping balloon and a proximal end, separated from the distal end by a length sufficient to extend from within a circulatory lumen to the outside of a patient's body, for receiving positive and negative pressure pulses from a pump to inflate and deflate the pumping balloon; and a radially expandable frame, mounted on one of a segment extending distally from the pumping balloon, the balloon catheter, and a sleeve tube surrounding the balloon catheter. The expandable frame is manipulate to expand within the circulatory lumen, and functions to space apart the inflatable balloon from the circulatory lumen, having a first diameter in a collapsed configuration for intraluminal delivery and a second, larger diameter in an expanded configuration achieved by said manipulation.

Several embodiments of a catheter are described, having a balloon configured to slowly inflate and then quickly deflate to create an area of low pressure in the vessels. The balloon can be cycled near the vessels of the kidneys, thereby helping to draw out blood from the kidneys and enhance fluid processing to the bladder.

Systems, devices and methods for treating lymphatic congestion are disclosed. In one method, a balloon is placed at or near the veno-lymph junction. The balloon is inflated and deflation through cycles of slow inflation and rapid deflation. In another embodiment, an arteriovenous fistula is created near the veno-lymph junction. Alternate embodiments may also include axial pumps, stents, or balloons in combination with the fistula. These devices and methods create an acceleration of the blood flow past the lymphatic duct which reduces local pressure via the Venturi effect and according to the Bernoulli principle which facilitates lymph entering into the bloodstream.

Systems, devices and methods for treating lymphatic congestion are disclosed. In one method, a balloon is placed at or near the veno-lymph junction. The balloon is inflated and deflation through cycles of slow inflation and rapid deflation. In another embodiment, an arteriovenous fistula is created near the veno-lymph junction. Alternate embodiments may also include axial pumps, stents, or balloons in combination with the fistula. These devices and methods create an acceleration of the blood flow past the lymphatic duct which reduces local pressure via the Venturi effect and according to the Bernoulli principle which facilitates lymph entering into the bloodstream.

A system for improving heart muscle response during a pre-ejection phase in the heart muscle pumping cycle requires a catheter having a pressure transducer and a fluid device mounted at its distal end. Also included is a pump connected to the proximal end of the catheter in fluid communication with the fluid device. A computer will activate the pump in response to a predetermined signal from the pressure transducer to inject and maintain an increased fluid volume in the pumping chamber of the heart for a predetermined time interval Δt during the pre-ejection phase. This supplements the isometric pressure in the heart's pumping chamber in preparation for a subsequent ejection of blood from the pumping chamber.

Several embodiments of a catheter are described, having a balloon configured to slowly inflate and then quickly deflate to create an area of low pressure in the vessels. The balloon can be cycled near the vessels of the kidneys, thereby helping to draw out blood from the kidneys and enhance fluid processing to the bladder.

An integrated sheath assembly for inserting a medical device such as a percutaneous pump into a vessel can include a first sheath having a first lumen defining a first opening between proximal and distal ends of the first sheath for passage of a portion of the pump and a second sheath having a second lumen defining a second opening between proximal and distal ends of the second sheath. The second lumen is expandable to allow passage of the first sheath containing the portion of the pump. The first sheath fills a space between the second sheath and the portion of the percutaneous pump when the first sheath containing the percutaneous pump is inserted into the second lumen. The first sheath has a first hub, and the second sheath has a second hub. In some embodiments, a single sheath and a movable connector can be integrated on the medical device.