US 6,095,968 A · Reinforcement device

Abstract

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" is fashioned to provide a buttressing effect to the ventricular heart walls 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 sometime 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.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method of implanting a long term cardiac support device in a pericardial sac for a failing heart, the method including the steps of:

a) enclosing a heart within the pericardial sac and in which such support device has an outer inelastic ply and in inner elastic lining ply which abuts the ventricular masses of the heart;
b) instilling a viscous fluid into the device between said inelastic ply and elastic lining ply;
and
c) monitoring the pressure of the viscous fluid in the device.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Reinforcement device

Life of this patent

Reinforcement device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12