The inflated balloon pumps the blood and then deflates when the heart is ready with the next heart beat. Thus, enough blood flow is supplied to the organs of the body and some of the workload of the heart is reduced. This allows the heart to recover its strength. Some of the drawbacks of this device are that it can only be left in for a short period of time and the patient cannot get out of bed. However, the devices developed to date have been plagued by problems.
Further research is ongoing.
The current state of the art are wearable left ventricular assist devices. These are implanted under general anesthesia by opening the breastbone. The tube contains valves leading into and out from a pumping chamber. A second tube runs through the skin to connect the pumping chamber to an external battery pack which the patient wears with a shoulder strap. The patient can be discharged from the hospital and be able to walk around.