The total artificial heart aims to provide an alternative treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure who are waiting for a heart transplant. It functions as an extra set of ventricles to take over the pumping function of a failing heart. While early attempts at artificial hearts were unsuccessful, advances in design have allowed some patients to survive for over 100 days or even have their own hearts heal without need for a transplant. However, artificial hearts still have disadvantages like size limitations, need to be tethered to external drivers, and risk of complications. Researchers continue working to improve artificial heart technology.
3. • One Australian every 12 minutes.* Heart
Foundation.
• 610,000 Americans die from heart disease
each year (1 in every 4 deaths).* Center for
diseases control and prevention.
6. Introduction
• The population of patients with end-stage heart
failure has increased over the years, and the
availability of donor organs has not be Sufficient.
• End-stage heart failure represents a highly
morbid condition for the patient with limited
treatment options.
• The treatment options are heart transplantation,
heart–lung transplantation or implantation of a
Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices.
7. • If a patient waits until an organ becomes
available for transplantation, they could need
to wait months for that organ and therefore
their condition could get worse.
• There two Types of MCS Devices
• 1. Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD): are use on
Short terms to Complement Failing Hearts.
• 2. Total Artificial Heart (TAH): one available
option when long-term support of both
ventricles is required.
8. History
• Scientist and Engineers were aiming for a temporary
support.
• The first TAH was implanted in an animal model and then in
a human.
• Contributors to the development of the first artificial heart:
William Kolff, Don Olsen, Robert Jarvick and William
DeVries.
• Lead to the implantation of the Jarvick 7
• The scientist implanted the Jarvick 7 on a 61year-old man
that died after 112 days.
• After the failure they tried implanting the Jarvick 7 in a 25-
year-old, but just as bridge to transplantation and it
functioned perfectly.
14. Is there any risk when I
implant an artificial
Heart ??
15. Present and Future Prespectives
• In August 2006, an artificial heart was implanted
into a 15-year-old girl.
• It was intended to act as a temporary fixture until
a donor heart could be found. Instead, the
artificial heart allowed for natural processes to
occur and her heart healed on its own.
• After 146 days, TAH was removed, and the girl's
heart was able to function properly on its own.
16. • Even though the TAH gives a viable alternative to
the patients with end stage heart failure, the TAH
have some disadvantages.
• Some of this disadvantages are that they don’t fit
all the patients, patients are tethered to the
driver which interferes with quality of life,
durability, complications such as infections, and
lack of pressure flow compared to a normal
heart.
• Scientists are working to decrease the size of the
TAH and improve their function.
• Some doctors are designing a continuous-flow
TAH that has no valves or sensors.