The current status of mechanical circulatory support

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Abstract
In summary, techniques for support of a failing circulation have advanced steadily over the past thirty years. Just as the use of the intra-aortic balloon pump has permitted successful treatment of certain groups of high-risk patients, so increasing application of more invasive techniques of mechanical circulatory support has extended the range of surgical endeavour. Nevertheless, it is evident that further advances in the design and construction of mechanical circulatory support devices are most likely to occur in conjunction with developments in bioengineering technology. These advances will in turn demand analysis by means of careful animal and clinical investigations. Although the general clinical use of an off-the-shelf mechanical ventricular support will give rise to major financial and ethical problems it is likely that application of these devices may herald a new era in the field of artificial organ replacement.