Patent ID: 8523756

Claim:
A cardiac compression system comprising: a shell custom manufactured to substantially conform to the contour of a portion of a heart at the end of diastole, the contour of the heart being obtained by an imaging system; an elastic diaphragm coupled to an inner surface of the shell and defining a solid lining conforming to the heart; at least one opening on the shell for passing pericardial fluid; and at least one inflatable balloon attached to at least one predetermined location of the inner surface of the shell for selectively applying pressure to the heart at a specific ventricular location, wherein the shell is positionally retained in the pericardium space devoid of any fixed coupling to prevent it from dislodging from the heart, the at least one opening on the shell passing therethrough pericardial fluid disposed outside of the inflatable balloon, and the inflatable balloon inflates so as to compress at least one ventricular free wall of the heart at said specific ventricular location.