A heart support device for circulatory assistance is disclosed. The device comprises a chamber body defining a chamber having an internal volume configured to be filled with blood. The chamber body has a first opening and the chamber is dimensioned such that the first opening and the chamber are fully disposed within a chamber of the human heart. A dynamic volume body is provided and configured to be inflated or deflated to alternately increase or decrease the interior volume of the chamber. A catheter comprising at least one lumen in fluid communication with the dynamic volume body is configured to deliver fluid to the dynamic volume body to inflate the dynamic volume body. A directional flow structure is configured to direct a flow of blood out of the chamber in a direction substantially aligned with a direction in which the catheter extends.

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 filing pressure.

An intra-aortic dual balloon driving pump catheter device having a catheter; a first balloon and a second balloon respectively surrounding the catheter, being arranged successively along the longitudinal direction of the catheter, wherein the position of the first balloon is placed at the distal end of the catheter, and the second balloon is placed immediately adjacent to the proximal end of the first balloon; the first balloon and the second balloon are periodically expanded to a dimension that nearly blocks the aortic blood flow and contracted to a dimension that does not prevent the blood flow from passing through; wherein the first balloon periodically inflates in diastole and deflates in systole working as a pump, while the second balloon conversely deflates in systole and inflates in diastole functioning as a valve, altogether leading to blood pumping from contracting ventricle and keeping driving forward ahead in the aorta.

An intra-aortic balloon pumping device and a method of assembling an intra-aortic balloon pumping device. The device includes a catheter with a separated first and second lumen for driving a first balloon with a relatively large outer diameter and a second balloon with a smaller outer diameter than the aorta when inflated, as well as a single driver unit that is coupled to the first and second lumen for pumping a driving gas into and out from each individual lumen to inflate and deflate the first and second balloons in sequence. The ratio of cross-sectional area of each lumen and the balloon volumes are dimensioned in such way that the sequence is optimized. In one form, the second lumen is a short aperture, located only between adjacent chambers that are formed by the first and second balloons.

Cardiac chamber prosthesis configured to be implanted in a cardiac chamber (10; 20; 30; 40) comprising a native outlet valve (50; 60; 70; 80) and at least one inlet aperture (50; 70) selected from the group comprising a native inlet valve (50; 70) and one or more outlet mouths of venae cavae or pulmonary veins (120; 125; 130), wherein the cardiac chamber prosthesis comprises: an inner elastic membrane (250; 255; 260; 650; 750; 850), a reference support elastic membrane structure (200; 205, 225, 290A; 600; 700; 800) comprising or consisting of an outer elastic membrane (200; 205; 600; 700; 800) provided with a plurality of clips (210) configured to grip an inner wall (45) of the cardiac chamber (10; 20; 30; 40), wherein the elastic inner and outer membranes (250, 200; 255, 205; 260, 200; 650, 600; 750, 700; 850, 800) form an outlet border (285; 675; 785; 885) configured to surround and be sutured on the native outlet valve (50; 60; 70; 80) and at least one inlet border (275; 685; 775; 875A, 875B) configured to surround and be sutured on said at least one inlet aperture (50; 70), wherein the inner elastic membrane (250; 255; 260; 650; 750; 850) and the reference support elastic membrane structure (200; 205, 225, 290A; 600; 700; 800) are connected to each other by means of a plurality of primary variable connection elements (290; 290B), whereby the inner elastic membrane (250; 255; 260; 650; 750; 850) and the reference support elastic membrane structure (200; 205, 225, 290A; 600; 700; 800) delimit a primary interspace (230; 230B; 630; 730; 830) between them that is configured to receive a fluid with varying amount and/or pressure so as to dynamically modify a volume of the primary interspace (230; 2303; 630; 730; 830) and said elastically variable volume delimited by the inner surface (254; 654; 754; 854) of the inner elastic membrane (250; 255; 260; 650; 750; 850).

A method for repairing a heart includes identifying a heart of a patient as having a reduced ejection fraction. In response to the identifying, wall stress of a ventricle of the heart is reduced by implanting apparatus that facilitates cyclical moving of fluid that is not blood of the patient into and out of the ventricle of the heart. During ventricular diastole, a volume of the fluid is moved into the ventricle in a manner that produces a corresponding decrease in a total volume of blood that fills the ventricle during diastole. During ventricular systole, the volume of the fluid is moved out of the ventricle in a manner that produces a corresponding decrease in a total volume of the ventricle during isovolumetric contraction of the ventricle. Other embodiments are also described.

A method for repairing a heart includes identifying a heart of a patient as having a reduced ejection fraction. In response to the identifying, wall stress of a ventricle of the heart is reduced by implanting apparatus that facilitates cyclical moving of fluid that is not blood of the patient into and out of the ventricle of the heart. During ventricular diastole, a volume of the fluid is moved into the ventricle in a manner that produces a corresponding decrease in a total volume of blood that fills the ventricle during diastole. During ventricular systole, the volume of the fluid is moved out of the ventricle in a manner that produces a corresponding decrease in a total volume of the ventricle during isovolumetric contraction of the ventricle. Other embodiments are also described.

A system for providing ventricular assistance to a heart of a subject, the system including a balloon configured to be inserted into a ventricle of the heart, wherein the balloon is configured to differentially inflate to thereby urge blood towards a semilunar valve of the ventricle; a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the balloon; a pumping mechanism attached to the fluid conduit; and, a controller configured to control the pumping mechanism to thereby selectively supply fluid into the balloon so as to inflate the balloon at least partially in accordance with the cardiac cycle.

A system for providing ventricular assistance to a heart of a subject, the system including a balloon configured to be inserted into a ventricle of the heart, wherein the balloon is configured to differentially inflate to thereby urge blood towards a semilunar valve of the ventricle; a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the balloon; a pumping mechanism attached to the fluid conduit; and, a controller configured to control the pumping mechanism to thereby selectively supply fluid into the balloon so as to inflate the balloon at least partially in accordance with the cardiac cycle.

A dual balloon catheter having two independently inflatable balloons that provides complete or intermittent synchronous occlusion of blood vessels (such as the contralateral iliac veins, for example) via the balloons, which can be used for the purpose of decreasing the pressure in the inferior vena cava, which results in decongestion of the kidneys, liver/splanchnic compartment, lymphatic system, and the heart.