A cardiac assist device as blood supply in ischemic heart disease

Before the event of modern bypass surgery revascularisation of the heart was tried with the transplantation of pedicled muscle flaps onto the heart. For patients who cannot undergo bypass surgery this method could be--in a modified way--of help. This was shown in 12 dogs. In those a free muscle flap was transplanted onto the heart which had undergone a previous artificial infarction. The muscle flap was anastomosed with the a. mammaria, venous flow was directed into the right atrium. After 5 months the muscle was almost completely atrophic, but a fit capillary network was penetrating the underlying myocardium.