When we talk about terms like magnetic levitation and titanium, the last thing we want to do is the human heart. And yet, here technology and science can break our minds again with an advance that could be a revolution for people waiting for a heart transplant. In essence, they implanted a fully mechanical heart (with magnetic levitation) into a human for the first time. successfully.
Titanium beating. The Total Artificial Heart (TAH), as it is called, has been developed BiVACOR and implemented as part of A feasibility study Preliminary review overseen by the US Food and Drug Administration. The heart is “a biventricular rotary blood pump with a single moving part constructed of titanium that uses a magnetically levitated rotor to pump blood and replace both ventricles of a failing heart.” They count.
A technology that uses the same technology as high-speed rail lines was unthinkable until recently. An achievement that, we say, marks a great step forward in keeping people alive while waiting for a heart transplant.
Titanium heart
Replacement. As they explained, the patient was a 58-year-old man from the United States whose defective heart was replaced by such a temporary titanium blood pump. According to medical device company BiVACOR, TAHs are not designed to beat like real ones. But even without flexible chambers or pump diaphragms, they claim it’s strong enough Holding a man during exercise And small enough to fit most men and women.
According to the patient’s doctors, titanium heart Worked perfectly fine For eight days before an actual donor heart was available. “I am incredibly proud to witness the successful first human transplantation of our TAH,” he said A statement from the founder of BiVACOR, Daniel Timms. “This achievement would not have been possible without the courage of our first patient and his family, the dedication of our team and the courage of our expert colleagues at the Texas Heart Institute.”
mechanical heart We’re talking about a dual-chamber device that’s about the size of a fist and virtually unbreakable, resisting corrosion and mechanical wear. According to the manufacturer, the advantage of using a magnetically levitated rotor to drive the blood circulation function of the device is that there is no friction as there is no contact. The device is not the first artificial heart to be used (the first successful implantation was performed in 1969), but it is the first to use this novel use of magnetic levitation technology.
How it works The heart uses a small external rechargeable controller that comes out of the stomach and is capable of pumping blood at a rate of 12 liters per minute. The company notes that other artificial hearts rely on flexible polymer diaphragms to pump blood, but these components can wear out. With only one part suspended in space by magnetism (and no valves), the BiVACOR heart can technically last longer.
how much No one really knows how long the device works in humans, but the BiVACOR design has been working on the lab bench for four years and counting. In any case, we must remember that this “heart” function is not a lifelong implant. It is only intended to keep a patient alive while waiting for a heart transplant.
A breakthrough for heart failure. Currently, the best treatment option for people with this serious condition is an actual donor heart. The problem? That they are not always available at the right time. In fact, every year there is Less than 6,000 replacements From the heart all over the world. This is why artificial hearts are key to prolonging life while waiting.
In November last year, BiVacor received FDA approval to implant TAH in five patients with end-stage heart failure this 2024. Given the success of the first implant, more are expected in the near future. “The global impact of long-term, commercially viable mechanical replacement for failing human hearts would be tremendous,” they conclude. Summary of ongoing clinical studies.
Picture | BiVACOR
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