CardiacAssist's products get your blood pumping, for real. The company makes the TandemHeart pVAD (percutaneous ventricular assist device), which pumps blood through the bodies of patients suffering from heart failure. Unlike most cardiac-assist devices, TandemHeart is available as both an external pump and an implantable device; meaning it can be used by interventional cardiologists in a cath lab and by cardiac surgeons in an operating room to provide short-term circulatory support. The company supplies its the device (and related accessories) to US hospitals through an in-house sales team and internationally through a network of European distributors. CardiacAssist was founded in 1996 by a group of investors.