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In the past your heart was replaced by a device that pumps blood around your body.

The heart pumps blood through the body. In the process, the blood flows through blood vessels. The blood supplies all areas of the body with oxygen and nutrients. Major, important blood vessels branch out of the heart. The main artery (aorta), originating from the left lower chamber (ventricle) of the heart, supplies the whole body with oxygen-rich blood. The right ventricle pumps oxygen-poor blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs, where the blood is then enriched with oxygen.

In the past you were given a device like this during surgery. To do this, the chest is usually opened up and the heart removed. The device is then connected to the major blood vessels. The device pumped blood around your body and it has now been removed.

Amongst other things, the device consists of a pump with some tubes and cables. One of the tubes connects the left ventricle to the aorta. Another tube connects the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery. Blood is pumped to the body and lungs via these tubes.

From the device in your chest a cable goes from your abdomen to a control unit that supplies power to the device. The control unit can also be used to configure exactly how the device should work.