A french team, led by Dr. Alain Carpentier, presented a prototype of the artificial heart during a press conference Monday in Paris, an artificial heart that resembles and beats almost exactly like the real thing.
The deputy managing director of Carmat, the biomedical company that developed the heart, Patrick Coulombier, told the press that “this new total artificial heart is a first, because it is made of biosynthetic tissues.” It has been released that the materials used in making this is from animal tissues, making it less likely that the human body will reject it.
Although trials has not yet been started, the team are eyeing testing to start in two or three years. They do hope that the device can fully work inside the body without forming blood clots. “The risks of blood clots are limited with this new artificial heart because of the use of biosynthetic tissues. Also, the smooth shape of the internal ventricles allows a complete and rapid wash of these ventricles in order to avoid having stagnant blood in some areas of the heart and thus the formation of blood clots” added Coulombier.
The artificial heart actually resembles the anatomy of the real human heart, with two ventricles equipped with micro pumps, which allow the blood flow to circulate through its whole. There is also alves which allow the blood to circulate in one way. External batteries are also used, making its patiend completely autonomous.
But until the success of the human trials, nothing is sure and the medical world continues to remain cautious.
“It’s not about putting a machine in a human body, it is about giving patients a life worthy of being lived and a normal social life with the least medico-dependency,” Carpentier told press last monday.
As of this moment, Carmat is looking for funds to suppot the project which is about $100 million. And if everything goes well, this artificial heart will be available in the medical field by 2013.
