The AB5000™ Ventricle, a major component of the AB5000™ Circulatory Support System, is a pneumatically driven blood pump. The sterile, disposable Ventricle provides circulatory support in the presence of left-, right-, or both-sided heart failure. The Ventricle is located next to the body (paracorporeal) and can take over the pumping function of the natural heart allowing the muscles to rest and recover.

Assisted by vacuum, blood flows from the native heart into the AB5000™ Ventricle bladder. The bladder, which holds about 100 cc of blood, fills and empties much like the natural heart. Connection of the Ventricle to the patient is accomplished by connecting the pump to cannulae, or tubes, implanted in the patient's heart.

Abiomed Cannulas are designed to cause minimal trauma and facilitate insertion without coring the heart. They attache to either the AB5000™ Ventricle or the BVS 5000 Blood Pump, allowing for "closed chest" transition between devices when longer patient support is deemed necessary by the doctor.

Abiomed Europe offers 2 different size, malleable inflow cannulas, 32F and 42F in both long and short versions. The outflow cannula has a 10mm graft.

The ABIOMED systems are the most widely available and used VADs in the world. The are used in over 700 institutions worldwide and have supported thousands of patients over the past ten years. Institutions using best practices have seen success rates exceeding 60%, where the natural heart fully recovered and the patient was discharged from the hospital without a device, or the patient received heart support and improved organ function until they could receive a transplant. Although Abiomed Europe has launched the iPulse console, the AB5000™ console is still available.