Tc1 LLC

Tci Incorporated

Sarah Cohen

Connectors and related methods for fluidly coupling a blood pump with an aorta facilitate implantation of the blood pump. A method of fluidly coupling a blood pump with an aorta includes positioning a connector device defining a passageway extending between a proximal opening and a distal opening. The connector device includes a support member surrounding the distal opening. The support member is interfaced with a wall of the aorta so that the distal opening is at a desired location of an inlet opening in the aorta. The support member is attached to the aorta around the distal opening so as to form a fluid seal and stabilize the connector device. A slit is incised in the wall of the aorta to form the inlet opening in the aorta. A proximal opening of the tubular connector is fluidly coupled with an outflow graft tube of the blood pump.

Aortic connectors and methods of use

Connectors interfacing a mechanical circulatory system with a patient's natural vasculature are provided herein. Such connectors include aortic connectors that facilitate fluid coupling of an outflow graft tube from an implanted blood pump with a patient's aorta. Aortic connectors can include a substantially planar portion configured for sealed attachment with a wall of the aorta and a tubular connector portion extending from an inlet opening to an outlet opening. The substantially planar portion can include a flexible membrane for attachment to an outer surface of the aorta and/or a flange for engagement with an inner surface of the aorta. The tubular connector can extend from the substantially planar portion at a pre-determined angle and include one or more attachment features to facilitate rapid fluidly sealed attachment to the outflow graft tube.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Sarah Cohen