Avco Intra-Aortic Pump. 1. The heart contracts, pumping blood into the aorta. The balloon is deflating. 2. The heart begins to relax; the aortic valve is closed. The balloon is expanding, forcing blood into both the upper and lower body. 3. The heart is fully relaxed, the balloon fully inflated. As the heart begins its next cycle, the balloon deflates, leaving a low-pressure area into which the heart easily pumps.

Avco-Everett Research Laboratory · [ca. 1908–1972]

[Information from item housing] Heart + Heart Surgery