Abstract: A system to provide cardiac assistance to a patient's heart. The system includes a pulse generator adapted to be coupled to patient's heart and adapted to be coupled to a skeletal muscle ventricle (SMV). The system further includes a sewing ring adapted to be coupled to the SMV and adapted to be coupled to the patient's circulatory system, the sewing ring has a first annular ring and a second annular ring, the first and second annular rings having means for limiting the formation of tissue fibrosis in the vicinity of the first and second annular rings. In the preferred embodiment this comprises means for being more flexible at a distal end than a proximal end, which is accomplished by providing a series of holes in each of the rings. The holes preferably have a range of diameters, the holes located furthest away from the distal end of each ring have smaller diameters than compared to those holes located nearer to the distal end of the same ring.

Abstract: A linear motion, muscle-actuated cardiac assist device novelly uses a powering muscle whose contractions and relaxations are made in a substantially linear fashion, as opposed to the curvilinear muscle motions associated with prior art muscle-actuated cardiac assist devices. As a result, collateral circulation of the powering muscle need not be cut, theoretically leading to prevention of ischemia in the powering muscle. Other benefits include: greater energy efficiency of the powering muscle; greater available choice of powering muscles (i.e., not limited to the latissimus dorsi as the powering muscle); and reduced profile height of the cardiac assist device to reduce protrusion from the implanted area of the body.