Method for making a blood pump and pumping blood

A method of pumping blood, comprising

• providing a pump having an inlet port, a discharge port adjacent to the inlet port and an elastic bladder defining a pumping chamber, the bladder having plural elements comprised of materials of varying physical characteristics, and a pump operating system associated with the bladder, the bladder and operating system adapted to control to the direction, magnitude and timing of movement of various portions of the bladder,
• initially drawing blood into the pumping chamber through the inlet port by sequentially expanding portions of the bladder,
• directing blood flow from the inlet port to wash across and past the discharge port,
• directing the blood flow through the pumping chamber in a generally continuous curvilinear pattern,
• sequentially contracting portions of the bladder to pump blood out of the pumping chamber through the discharge port, and
• directing the blood flow to wash across and past the inlet port as it is being ejected out the discharge port.