The artificial heart is the size of an adult’s fist, capable of supplying sufficient blood to an adult male during exercise.
Researchers from Monash University and engineers from Australian company BiVACOR are building the world’s first fully functional artificial heart.
The BiVACOR Complete Artificial Heart is built on the basis of rotary blood pump technology. About the size of an adult fist, the device is small enough to be implanted in women and some children, and is capable of supplying sufficient blood to an adult male during exercise.
Currently, some people with heart failure use implantable mechanical pumps, but these devices typically only support one ventricle. Patients using this pump should bring the pump calculator and heavy batteries.
Meanwhile, BiVACOR will be the world’s first medical device to function as a complete artificial heart, with all electrical devices housed inside.
“The device sucks blood through an entrance and has a helix inside and pushes it,” said David Kaye, head of the artificial cardiology program at Monash University and director of the hospital’s cardiology department. Alfred. The really smart parts of the device involve controlling the amount of flow through the pump, related to the design of the impeller inside, which is electrically controlled. a complete replacement for a natural heart “.
To date, the project has received initial funding for artificial heart development through the Future of Medical Research Fund, as well as international funding. The team is currently focused on expanding operations to be able to commercialize artificial hearts over the next six years, with clinical trials scheduled to begin next year.
Heart failure is the second leading cause of death in the United States and Europe. Meanwhile, in Australia, 118 people die of heart failure every day. The disease is estimated to cost the Australian economy more than A $ 5 billion ($ 4 billion) per year. More than 300,000 Australians are currently living with heart failure, with 30,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
As demand exceeds supply, thousands of Australians await a heart transplant. People with right or left ventricular failure are often unable to use mechanical circulatory support devices and often die while waiting for a heart donation.
