Tremendous technical development has taken place in recent years. In the case of advanced heart muscle weakness, mini-pumps can be used nowadays to permanently relieve the heart. These are usually small capsules with a propeller drive that draw blood from the heart via a cannula and then pump it into the aorta. The German Heart Centre offers this form of therapy together with colleagues from the Department of Cardiac Surgery. With an artificial heart implanted in the body, heart activity can be temporarily bridged until the patient's own heart has recovered or until a suitable donor heart is available for a heart transplant. Used in patients with incurable heart failure.
