Distal flow arterial cannula with expandable positioning balloon

1. A cannula comprising:

a main tube having a proximal end, a distal end, and a tubular sidewall extending between the proximal end and the distal end; and

an expandable balloon provided on a portion of the sidewall, wherein the expandable balloon is configured to expand radially outward from the sidewall;

wherein the sidewall defines an aperture located between the proximal end and the distal end of the main tube;

wherein an exterior surface of the sidewall of the main tube is exposed from a proximalmost end of the expandable balloon to a distalmost end of the expandable balloon.

2. The cannula according to claim 1 , further comprising an inflator tube in fluid communication with the expandable balloon and extending along at least a portion of the sidewall,

wherein the inflator tube is configured to supply liquid or gas to the expandable balloon to cause expansion of the expandable balloon.

3. The cannula according to claim 2 , wherein the liquid or gas supplied by the inflator tube is at least one of air, helium, and saline.

4. The cannula according to claim 1 , further comprising a lumen defined in the sidewall and in fluid communication with the expandable balloon,

wherein the lumen is configured to supply liquid or gas to the expandable balloon to cause expansion of the expandable balloon.

5. The cannula according to claim 1 , wherein the expandable balloon comprises at least one of a compliant material and a noncompliant material.

6. The cannula according to claim 1 , further comprising an absorbent material at least partially filling the expandable balloon,

wherein the absorbent material is configured to absorb water from an environment surrounding the expandable balloon to cause expansion of the expandable balloon.

7. The cannula according to claim 6 , wherein the absorbent material comprises a salt.

8. The cannula according to claim 6 , wherein the expandable balloon comprises a semipermeable membrane.

9. A cannula comprising:

a main tube having a proximal end, a distal end, and a tubular sidewall extending between the proximal end and the distal end;

an extendable member provided on a portion of the sidewall, wherein the extendable member comprises a flap pivotally connected to the sidewall via a hinge; and

a mechanical actuator configured to rotate the flap about the hinge between the retracted position and the extended position;

wherein the extendable member is configured to extend radially outward from the sidewall;

wherein the sidewall defines an aperture located between the proximal end of the main tube and the distal end of the main tube;

wherein the flap is configured to rotate about the hinge between a retracted position in which the flap extends substantially parallel to the sidewall and an extended position in which the flap extends radially outward from the sidewall;

wherein the flap comprises a temperature sensitive material and is configured to rotate to the extended position upon exposure to a body temperature of the patient.

10. An extracorporeal blood oxygenation system comprising:

a drainage cannula configured for insertion into a vasculature of a patient;

a blood pump fluidly connected to the drainage cannula and configured to draw blood from the patient via the drainage cannula;

an oxygenator in fluid communication with the blood pump and configured to receive blood from the blood pump;

an infusion cannula configured for insertion into the vasculature of the patient, the infusion cannula comprising:

a main tube having a proximal end, a distal end, and a tubular sidewall extending between the proximal end and the distal end; and

an expandable balloon, wherein an entirety of the expandable balloon extends only partially around a circumference of the sidewall, the circumference lying in a plane perpendicular to a central longitudinal axis of the main tube,

wherein the expandable balloon is configured to extend radially outward from the sidewall,

wherein the sidewall defines an aperture located between the proximal end and the distal end of the main tube,

wherein a proximal end of the infusion cannula is in fluid communication with the oxygenator and configured to return blood from the oxygenator to the vasculature of the patient.

11. The extracorporeal blood oxygenation system according to claim 10 , further comprising a liquid or gas-supplying device for supplying liquid or gas to the infusion cannula,

wherein the infusion cannula further comprises an inflator tube in fluid communication with the liquid or gas-supplying device and with the expandable balloon, the inflator tube extending along at least a portion of the sidewall; and

wherein the inflator tube is configured to supply the liquid or gas to the expandable balloon to cause expansion of the expandable balloon.

12. The extracorporeal blood oxygenation system according to claim 11 , wherein the liquid or gas-supplying device is at least one of a syringe and an air pump.

13. The extracorporeal blood oxygenation system according to claim 10 , wherein the infusion cannula further comprises an absorbent material at least partially filling the expandable balloon,

wherein the absorbent material is configured to absorb water from an environment surrounding the expandable balloon to cause expansion of the expandable balloon.

14. The extracorporeal blood oxygenation system according to claim 13 , wherein the absorbent material comprises a salt.

15. The extracorporeal blood oxygenation system according to claim 13 , wherein the expandable balloon comprises a semipermeable membrane.

16. A method of extracorporeal blood oxygenation comprising:

inserting a drainage cannula into a first site of a vasculature of a patient;

inserting an infusion cannula into a second site of the vasculature of the patient, the infusion cannula comprising:

a main tube having a proximal end, a distal end, and a tubular sidewall extending between the proximal end and the distal end; and

an extendable member provided on a portion of the sidewall, wherein the extendable member defines an exposed outer surface of the sidewall extending from a proximal end of the extendable member and a distal end of the extendable member;

wherein the sidewall defines an aperture located between the proximal end and the distal end of the main tube;

extending the extendable member of the infusion cannula radially outward from the sidewall of the infusion cannula to engage an inner wall of the vasculature of the patient;

wherein when the extendable member is engaged with the inner wall of the vasculature, blood is permitted to flow from proximal of the extendable member past the extendable member along and while in contact with the exposed outer surface of the sidewall to distal of the extendable member;

draining blood through the drainage cannula to a blood pump;

pumping, via the blood pump, drained blood through an oxygenator to oxygenate the drained blood; and

returning oxygenated blood to the vasculature of the patient via the infusion cannula.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the extendable member is an inflatable balloon extending only partially around a circumference of the sidewall.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein extending the extendable member includes extending the extendable member radially outward from the sidewall only on one side of a plane containing a central longitudinal axis of the main tube.

19. The cannula of claim 9 , wherein in the extended position, the flap extends generally perpendicular to a central longitudinal axis of the main tube.

20. The cannula of claim 9 , wherein the flap is configured to rest in the retracted position at ambient temperature outside of the patient.