Device designed to replace the heart and to pump blood throughout the body. An artificial heart (the Jarvik heart) was implanted in a human for the first time in late 1982 and worked in the patient for over 110 days, before he died of complications. Work on these devices is continuing.
A mechanical device that substitutes for, or augments, the normal blood-pumping function of the heart. Still experimental, artificial hearts are generally seen as a temporary solution to prolong the life of a person with advanced heart disease who is waiting for a heart transplant and might otherwise die.
A mechanical device in the chest that enhances or takes over the pumping action of the heart, thus maintaining the necessary level of circulation of blood through the brain and other body structures. An artificial heart was first used in humans in 1985, and the three types now in use are: an intra-aortic balloon pump, driven by compressed air, which inflates a balloon in the aorta with every heartbeat, thus increasing the volume of circulating blood; a ventricular assist device (VAD) that assists the ventricle in its function of pumping blood; and a mechanical artificial heart replacing a diseased heart that has been removed. Axial flow pumps are smaller than VADs and act by swirling the blood onwards in a jet-like activity. The newer devices have batteries implanted inside the body which can be charged externally. As yet there is no artificial heart suitable for long-term use, but trials are in progress, mostly in the US, to try to determine the precise role of VADs when compared with other, nonsurgical treatment of heart failure.
A device that pumps the blood the heart would normally pump. It may be located inside or outside the body.
An implantable mechanical device is designed to replicate the function of the heart. However, the term can also refer to devices that aid the heart in preserving and managing blood circulation throughout the body.
An intra-aortic balloon pump, which includes a balloon in the aorta that inflates with each heartbeat, enhances the volume of blood flowing into the circulation. This method of mechanical circulatory support is commonly used, often for the initial few days following a myocardial infarction (heart attack), until the heart can sustain blood pressure independently. A left ventricular assist device collects blood from the left ventricle and electrically pumps it into the abdominal aorta. Actual artificial hearts are mechanical hearts powered externally by battery packs.
Artificial hearts come with certain complications, such as the development of blood clots within the device and the risk of infection. Therefore, they are typically utilized as an interim solution until a heart transplant can be carried out.