A method and system are provided for percutaneously gaining access to oxygenated bood with an anastomosis device and pumping such oxygenated blood to other arterial regions of the vascular system. In one embodiment, a system may include an anastomosis device extending through an opening of the atrial septum. A filament may be coupled to the anastomosis device. A snare may access the right atrium through the superior vena cava, grasp the filament, and withdraw the filament through the superior vena cava. The filament may then be used as a guide to direct a catheter, a conduit or some other structure into the right atrium of the heart via the superior vena cava. A flow path may be defined between the anastomosis device and an arterial location, such as in the aorta, such that at least some oxygenated blood may by-pass the left ventricle and be discharged into the aorta.
