LinkNotes: Artificial Heart Ready for Implantation

2008-10-28

Artificial Heart Ready for Implantation

'Full' artificial heart implant

Scientists say they have a working prototype of a fully artificial heart ready for implanting in humans.

The device beats almost exactly like the real thing using electronic sensors to regulate heart rate and blood flow.

Developers Carmat now need approval from the French authorities before pushing ahead with clinical trials.

But heart experts warned it was still early days as previous attempts to create a fully artificial heart had failed during human testing.

I couldn't stand seeing young, active people dying aged 40 from massive heart attacks

Professor Alain Carpentier

Only properly conducted clinical trials will establish whether this version will live up to the claims made by its manufacturers

Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation

The device is designed to be as similar as possible to the human heart

clipped from www.independent.ie

Leading heart transplant specialist Alain Carpentier presents a cardiac valve used to design a fully implantable artificial heart
Photo: Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk

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2008-10-28

Artificial Heart Ready for Implantation

'Full' artificial heart implant