New technologies for mechanical circulatory support: current status and future prospects of CorAide and MagScrew...

Congestive heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and alternatives to heart transplantation are urgently required. Mechanical circulatory support by ventricular assist devices and total artificial hearts have the potential to provide an alternative to heart transplantation if a small, durable, biocompatible, and totally implantable system is available. In this article, current technologies for mechanical circulatory support by implantable devices are reviewed and the current status and future prospects of the CorAide and MagScrew technologies, which have been developed and tested at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, are presented.