(Kantrowitz)
(Kantrowitz)
Another design which, like the ventricular bypass, has has a limited number of trials in human patients is the booster pump. This does not reduce the amount of blood that the heart pumps, but it permits the left ventricle to function against less resistance and pressure. The booster perches atop the heart like a crown and is designed to be left permanently in place after the patient has recovered. Should his heart fail again, surgeons could quickly connect air and electric lines through a "socket" in the chest wall.
The relative drawback to this booster is that while it can be turned on and off as need dictates, its function depends on heart action. Unlike the ventricular bypass, which can control a failing heart, the booster cannot counteract either fibrillation or cardiac arrest, two common causes of death. One of its major advantages is that it has no artificial valves and is not likely to encourage clotting.