Current methods for circulatory support.

Although the concept of artificial circulatory support has existed for almost 200 years, it has only been within the last 4 decades that engineers and physicians have developed mechanical devices that can 1) temporarily support the circulation in a patient until the heart recovers or a new heart can be transplanted, or 2) permanently replace a failed heart. In this paper, we briefly describe the devices and techniques that are in current clinical use and speculate on the use of such devices in the future.