Whole heart assist device

A cardiac assist device comprising:

• a sleeve configured to externally wrap around a native, intact heart, wherein the sleeve comprises an apical ring structure around a circumference of a first end of the sleeve and a basal ring structure at a second end of the sleeve, wherein the apical ring structure and the basal ring structure are interconnected to each other by a plurality of non-overlapping, helically-arranged fibers that are enclosed within the sleeve, wherein each of the plurality of non-overlapping, helically-arranged fibers connect at the first end with the apical ring structure and at the second end to the basal ring structure, wherein twisting and untwisting of the sleeve due to coordinated movements of non-overlapping, helically-arranged fibers in conjunction with the first end of the sleeve and the second end of the sleeve assist the heart to pump blood during systole and receive blood during diastole, respectively:
• an actuator, and
• a drive shaft that connects the actuator to the sleeve,
• wherein, actuation of the actuator and the drive shaft provides an assisting force to a pumping force of the native, whole heart, thereby helping contraction and expansion of the heart located within an internal volume defined by the sleeve;
• and
• wherein the cardiac assist device comprises an anchor configured to fix the actuator to a rib or the sternum within a thoracic cavity of a subject.