| abstract |
A single, multichannel catheter for extracorporeal circulation of blood to a patient undergoing cardiac treatments or surgery. The catheter has three independent channels and an expandable balloon. The first channel is the largest and delivers blood to a patient to maintain the patient's metabolism and perfusion throughout the treatment or surgery. A second, smaller channel is integrated into the wall of the first channel and delivers a biologically active fluid (e.g., for cardioplegia) to the heart and/or venting the left heart. A third, smaller channel is integrated into the wall of the first channel, and delivers an expansion fluid to the balloon to occlude the flow of blood to the heart. Preferably, the first channel accounts for at least about 70% of the total channel volume. The multichannel catheter is best prepared using an extrusion molding technique. |