Abstract: A cavo-atrial cannula for removing blood from the body while performing heart surgery has at least two set of openings, a removable obturator, a curved tip, and a bend. The cavo-atrial cannula has the first openings located adjacent to the curved tip and the second openings on the side, opposite the bend. The cavo-atrial cannula contains various markings to indicate the correct positioning of the cavo-atrial cannula. The cavo-atrial cannula is inserted into the superior vena cava or inferior vena cava. The tip of the cavo-atrial cannula can lie in either the right atrium or the vena cava opposite from the insertion point. Because of the location of the second openings at the bend, blood from the head and upper body traveling through the superior vena cava or from the lower body traveling through the inferior vena cava can enter the lumen of the cavo-atrial cannula, thereby preventing the dangerous build up of blood upstream of the insertion point of the device.