FDA allows the use of artificial hearts

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just turned on the green light for the use of fully artificial heart transplant. This allows patients with severe heart failure who cannot afford a heart transplant to live for a while longer.

AbioCor artificial heart (Photo: bioblog.it)

AbioCor artificial heart of Abiomed Inc. weighs about 0.7 - 0.8kg (2pound).

It's a grapefruit-shaped device made of titanium and plastic mixes that can help patients live for a few more months.

The cost of an artificial heart is $ 250,000.

In addition, there is a transition energy coil that allows energy to pass through the skin and load the internal battery of the artificial heart.

This battery and a control device are placed in the patient's abdomen

The use of this device will limit serious cases of heart failure and is not suitable for a heart transplant surgery and patients who do not want to live more than one month.

In clinical trials, this average artificial heart device could prolong the patient's life by four and a half months. However, there are also patients who live for another 17 months, another person who lives for another 10 months and even one patient who can leave the hospital.

H.Cat