Blood Pump Or Balloon Cycling And Venous Occlusion

Abstract

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for enhancing renal perfusion of a patient comprising:
 placing a device with a proximal occlusion balloon and a distal impeller pump inside an inferior vena cava of the patient;   inflating the proximal occlusion balloon; and,   activating the distal impeller pump so as to direct blood from kidneys of the patient and into the inferior vena cava in a downstream direction.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein placing the device comprises placing the distal impeller pump within the inferior vena cava downstream of a junction of the inferior vena cava and renal veins of the patient. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein placing the device comprises placing the proximal occlusion balloon upstream of the junction of the inferior vena cava and the renal veins of the patient. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device includes a single catheter, and wherein the placing of the proximal occlusion balloon and the distal impeller pump into the inferior vena cava is performed with the single catheter. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device includes first and second catheters, and wherein the placing of the proximal occlusion balloon and the distal impeller pump into the inferior vena cava is performed with the first and the second catheters, respectively. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprises inflating and deflating of the proximal occlusion balloon multiple times. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for renal perfusion enhancement comprising:
 a delivery device;   a downstream impeller pump disposed on a distal portion of the delivery device;   an upstream occlusion balloon disposed on a proximal location of the delivery device that is proximal to the downstream impeller pump;   a control unit configured to control inflation and deflation of the upstream occlusion balloon and to control operation of the downstream impeller pump; and,   wherein, a low-pressure zone is created for directing blood through an inferior vena cava of a patient in a downstream direction when the downstream impeller pump is activated while the upstream occlusion balloon remains inflated.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the control unit is further configured to cycle the downstream impeller pump. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the delivery device is a single catheter, and wherein the upstream occlusion balloon and the downstream impeller pump are placed on the single catheter. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the delivery device includes first and second catheters, and wherein the upstream occlusion balloon and the downstream impeller pump are placed on the first and the second catheters. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the upstream occlusion balloon is disposed at a distal end of the second catheter. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the downstream impeller pump is a bladed rotor. 
     
     
         13 . A method for enhancing renal perfusion of a patient comprising:
 placing a device with an occlusion balloon and an impeller pump inside an inferior vena cava of the patient, where the impeller pump is located distally of the occlusion balloon; and,   repeatedly inflating the occlusion balloon and activating the impeller pump so as to direct blood from kidneys of a patient and into an inferior vena cava in a downstream direction.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein placing the device comprises placing the impeller pump within the inferior vena cava downstream of a junction of the inferior vena cava and renal veins of the patient. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein placing the device comprises placing the occlusion balloon upstream of the junction of the inferior vena cava and the renal veins of the patient. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the device includes a single catheter on which the occlusion balloon and the impeller pump are located. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the device includes first and second catheters, and wherein the occlusion balloon is located on the first catheter and the impeller pump is located on the second catheter. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the impeller pump is a bladed rotor.