J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 106(11): 694-699, 2005

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Feature topic

IMPLANTABLE ARTIFICIAL HEART

Heart transplants have been decreasing globally due to the lack of available donor hearts. As a result, the increased use of artificial hearts is anticipated as an alternative therapy. Although biocompatibility issues, such as thrombus formation/thromboembolism and infection, are still the main cause of mortality associated with artificial hearts, more than 20 different types are now clinically available after a half-century of development and experimental trials. These devices range from extracorporeal pneumatic to implantable battery-powered artificial hearts. The early development of artificial hearts logically focused on volumetric pump designs incorporating functions similar to the natural heart. Today, development has shifted toward designs that are significantly different from the natural heart. These pumps utilize axial or centrifugal flow allowing for a much simpler design, which is smaller in size and has very few moving parts. With rapid advances in technology, this new generation of artificial heart pumps is beginning to emerge as an alternative to heart transplants.

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