Finite element analysis and animal experiments were used to investigate the fatigue life of a left ventricular (LV) implant.  Implants were positioned in the LV of the sheep with induced anterior-apical infarct - with one side experiencing a significantly greater excursion than the remaining perimeter. Finite element analysis was performed to predict those ranges of papillary movement that would cause low cycle fatigue failure of an LV implant. Animal implants were then monitored for strut fracture. In all animals with large papillary excursions, devices were found to fracture near the papillary muscle, while no fractures were found along the opposing wall.   These results were well correlated with finite element predictions.   As demonstrated in this study, animal studies can be a useful tool in characterizing and validating the fatigue performance of an LV implant.