Implantable heart assist system

An extracardiac pumping system for supplementing blood circulation through a patient experiencing congestive heart failure without any component thereof being connected to the patient's heart, the extracardiac system comprising:

• a pulsatile pump configured to pump blood through the patient at subcardiac volumetric rates, said pulsatile pump having an average flow rate that, during normal operation thereof, is substantially below that of the patient's heart when healthy;
• an inflow conduit fluidly coupled to the pump to direct blood to the pump from a first peripheral blood vessel, the inflow conduit having a first end sized and configured to couple to the first peripheral blood vessel;
• an outflow conduit fluidly coupled to the pump to direct blood from the pump to a second peripheral blood vessel, the outflow conduit having a first end sized and configured to couple to the second peripheral blood vessel;
• and
• a control circuit to synchronously actuate the pump so as to begin pumping during isovolumic contraction and discontinue pumping about when the aortic valve closes to reduce the pumping load on the patient's heart by reducing the pressure at the aortic root before the aortic valve is opened for reduced hemodynamic burden during systole;
• whereby connection of the first ends of the inflow and outflow conduits to the blood vessels may be made subcutaneously to permit application of the connections in an minimally-invasive procedure.