Artificial Hearts Prolong Transplant Candidates Lives

A temporary artificial heart helps patients who are waiting for a donor human heart and who are at imminent risk of death.

The CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t) provides circulatory restoration in morbidly ill patients with irreversible biventricular failure, bridging them to transplantation. The TAH-t is designed to fit in the space of the removed diseased ventricles, and fits in a majority of adults and some larger adolescents. The system utilizes a partial fill and full eject mechanism; as patients exercise, their muscles and blood vessels contract causing more blood to fill the ventricles which is then fully ejected with each artificial heart beat. The device is able to pump high volumes of blood (up to 9.5 l/min) safely through the body while minimizing contact with non-human surfaces.

To power the TAH-t, external pneumatic drivers provide pulses of air and vacuum that make the TAH-t pump blood like a human heart. The original driver nicknamed Big Blue, powers the TAH-t in the operating room (OR) and is used throughout the patient's hospital recovery until the patient receives a human heart transplant. A portable driver is available in Europe that allows many patients to enjoy a fuller life. This driver is not approved by the [U.S.] Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In 1982, the Jarvik-7 artificial heart was implanted into Barney Clark, who lived for 112 days. In the 1990's the device and technology moved to University Medical Center (UMC, Tucson, AZ, USA), and was subsequently renamed the CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t). Today, the TAH-t is manufactured by SynCardia (Tucson, AZ, USA).


Related Links:
University Medical Center
SynCardia