| abstract |
Apparatus and methods are described including a blood pump (24) configured to be placed inside a blood vessel of a subject, the blood pump including an impeller (28) configured to pump blood by rotating. A support cage (254) is shaped to define a narrow portion (256) that is configured to be disposed around the impeller, and to maintain a separation between a wall of the blood vessel and the impeller, and a radial extension (258) from the narrow portion of the support cage that extends radially outward with respect to the narrow portion of the support cage, the radial extension being configured to substantially maintain a longitudinal axis of the impeller in alignment with a local longitudinal axis of the blood vessel by contacting the wall of the blood vessel. Other applications are also described. |