Robotic Device Hugs the Heart, Helping It Pump

The experimental device is designed to help people who are experiencing heart failure, a serious medical condition in which the heart does not pump as well as it should. According to the American Heart Association, heart failure currently afflicts about 5.7 million people in the United States, costing the nation an estimated $30.7 billion each year. Currently, one key way doctors prolong the lives of people with severe heart failure is to use machines called ventricular assist devices.