| abstract |
This invention is a heart assist device intended for the long term support of certain late stage cardiac failure states, particularly those known in the practice of cardiology to be called a dilated cardiomyopathy. A method is described wherein a 'viscous cardioplasty jacket' (10) is fashioned to provide a buttressing effect to the ventricular heart walls (14R, 14L) to thus render a more efficient cardiac contractile mechanism, whereby the patient is afforded improved heart function to allow increased physical activities. Such a viscous compliant enclosure of the ventricular heart masses can be utilized concurrently with recognized drug therapy which is sometimes lacking in beneficial effect for these patients, and is far less traumatic than the currently practiced surgical cardiomyoplasty (CMP) procedure. Application of this device may be accomplished through a relatively non-invasive endoscopic procedure in a more refined methodology of anatomical implantation of the device. |