That continuous flow is new(-ish). My father had an LVAD in 2002, and it was the older type that actually pumps rhythmically, so that was his pulse. At the time continuous-flow models were in research, and I do remember there were concerns with thrombosis (basically, the shifting force of the pulse helps break up clots).

I don't know the current state of the art, but there are definitely studies (the keyword is "pulsatile"). For example:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4250555/

For comparison, here's a picture of some LVADs. The one I've seen in person (after it had been taken back out!) is the one on the far left. Flow issues aside, I can imagine the smaller ones are easier on the patient in general, just from the perspective of surgery trauma.

http://reliantheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/VAD_Size_...