Originally published on December 30, 2013
An artificial heart created by French biomedical firm Carmat that is designed last to up to five years was implanted for the first time on December 18 in a 75-year-old patient who, according to doctors, is progressing well.
Until now, the longest a patient has lived with an artificial heart is just under four years. The new heart developed by Carmat is designed to replace a patient's real heart, or at least provide a longer bridge of time while the patient waits for a heart transplant.
The Carmat artificial heart's shape and size are similar to those of a natural heart. It has two ventricles and four valves that can reproduce the pulsatile flow of blood circulation and accelerate and reduce cardiac rhythm in according to the level of effort being exerted by the patient.
It is made from chemically treated animal tissue to lessen the risk of blood clots and rejection by the immune system.
To power the heart Carmat uses two external lithium-ion batteries connected to electric wires behind the left ear and linked to the heart through under-the-skin wires.
The system is portable, allowing the patient to return home by carrying it on a trolley or on his shoulders.
Nearly 100,000 people in Europe and the U.S. are in need of a heart transplant, according to Carmat.
Men are more likely to be implanted with Carmat's artificial heart, as heart failure affects more men than women, and the device is sized such that it can fit in 86 percent of men but only roughly 20 percent of women, according to a Reuters report.
A U.S. rival to Carmat, an artificial heart called AbioCor, is authorised in the U.S. for patients with end-stage heart failure or who have a life expectancy of less than 30 days, are not eligible for a natural heart plant and have no other viable treatment options.
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