Devices and methods for providing localized pressure to a region of a patient's heart to improve heart functioning, including: (a) a jacket made of a flexible biocompatible material, the jacket having an open top end that is received around the heart and a bottom portion that is received around the apex of the heart; and (b) at least one inflatable bladder disposed on an interior surface of the jacket, the inflatable bladder having an inelastic outer surface positioned adjacent to the jacket and an elastic inner surface such that inflation of the bladder causes the bladder to deform substantially inwardly to exert localized pressure against a region of the heart.

Systems and methods and devices are provided for treating conditions such as heart failure and/or pulmonary hypertension by at least partially occluding flow through the superior vena cava for an interval spanning multiple cardiac cycles. A catheter with an occlusion device is provided along with a controller that actuates a drive mechanism to provide at least partial occlusion of the patients superior vena cava, which reduces cardiac filling pressures, and induces a favorable shift in the patients Frank-Starling curve towards healthy heart functionality and improved cardiac performance. The occlusion device may include a lumen obstructed by a relief valve that may permit fluid flow through the occlusion device to release an excessive build-up of pressure.

An access device for a heart chamber, a removable hemostatic valve unit, and a system and a method of creating a transapical passage on a beating heart are disclosed. In examples, the access device (1) includes an apical base plate (100) and a sealing unit (3) configured to provide a separation of a wet zone from a heart chamber and a dry zone with a gaseous environment outside of said heart chamber inside a patient body at the same time.

The devices and method described herein allow for therapeutic damage to increase volume in these hyperdynamic hearts to allow improved physiology and ventricular filling and to reduce diastolic filling pressure by making the ventricle less stiff. For example, improving a diastolic heart function in a heart by creating at least one incision in cardiac muscle forming an interior heart wall of the interior chamber where the at least one incision extends into one or more layers of the interior heart wall without puncturing through the interior heart wall and the incision is sufficient to reduce a stiffness of the interior chamber to increase volume of the chamber and reduce diastolic filling pressure.

Disclosed is a control system having a processor configured to control a plurality of electromagnets to assist heart contractions and expansions based on input received from an electrocardiogram electrode and blow flow sensors.

A spring (3, 3) comprising a plurality of elements (30), each element (3) comprising a rigid portion (31) and a flexible beam (32), the extremities (320, 321) of the flexible beam being supported by the rigid portion (31), the flexible beam (32) having a single stable position, so that the flexible beam can be deformed when a pressure is exerted between said extremities in the direction of the rigid portion (31), and returns to said single stable position when the pressure is released, and wherein the rigid portion (31) of at least one element (30) is in contact with the flexible beam (32) of the next element between said extremities (320, 321) of the flexible beam (32), so that the spring has a negative stiffness over an operating range. The arrangement ensures a pure radial compression/expansion of the spring.

A spring (3, 3) comprising a plurality of elements (30), each element (3) comprising a rigid portion (31) and a flexible beam (32), the extremities (320, 321) of the flexible beam being supported by the rigid portion (31), the flexible beam (32) having a single stable position, so that the flexible beam can be deformed when a pressure is exerted between said extremities in the direction of the rigid portion (31), and returns to said single stable position when the pressure is released, and wherein the rigid portion (31) of at least one element (30) is in contact with the flexible beam (32) of the next element between said extremities (320, 321) of the flexible beam (32), so that the spring has a negative stiffness over an operating range. The arrangement ensures a pure radial compression/expansion of the spring.

A system configured to be at least partially implanted along an aorta includes an inelastic, static member and a pinching member. The pinching member is configured to receive an activation signal at an activation rate and in response to the activation signal, repeatedly compress the aorta at the second location at the activation rate to pump fluid within the aorta in a desired pumping direction. The system is configured to selectively control wave reflections in order to achieve both improved wave dynamics to reduce cardiac load and increased (or at least non-diminished) blood flow to targeted organs within the cardiovascular system.

A method of treating a vessel in a human or animal body, including the steps of: positioning an implantable device against a portion of tubular or sac wall of the vessel, whereby a load applied to the vessel is borne by the vessel wall and also by the device to transfer energy to an energy storage means, the vessel being assisted when the energy storage means returns the stored energy to the device. Further disclosed is a treatment or assistance device for operating in or with a tubular or sac wall of a vessel in a human or animal body, the device including a changeable volume portion which is adapted to interact with the vessel to modify the vessel's volume; and an energy storage means functioning with the changeable volume portion whereby a decrease in the volume of said changeable volume portion creates an energy charge in the energy storage means, the energy charge being able to be subsequently released to cause the changeable volume portion to increase in volume. Improved cuff features for stable attachment with monitoring capabilities have been described as has dynamically controlling the charge and discharge phases passively, with control electronics, and with energy harvesting.

The present disclosure relates to a cardiac augmentation device including an actuator configured to apply pressure to a heart to augment a pumping function of the heart, a sensor system configured to record two or more different ECG leads at the augmented heart. The cardiac augmentation device additionally includes a controller configured to determine one or more control parameters for the cardiac augmentation device using one or more of the two or more ECG leads and control operation of the actuator based on the determined one or more control parameters.