A smaller, safer, more reliable, less expensive artificial heart under development by a team of Australian researchers could extend the life of large numbers of people worldwide.
More than eight million people world-wide suffer from the final stages of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), a condition in which the heart has been weakened by disease and therefore looses its ability to pump enough blood to keep the body healthy. There is currently no drug that can cure this problem. Of the eight million, approximately 800 000 people have a life expectancy of less than one year. A heart transplant may suitable for some patients, but this treatment is limited due to a shortage of available donor hearts. An artificial heart is the answer.
Current generation artificial hearts have kept about 5000 patients with CHF alive until they could receive a transplant. These artificial hearts are expensive and large and not suitable as a permanent alternative to transplantation.
Small, reliable, energy efficient and long lasting — these are the characteristics that make Ventracor’s new VentrAssist™ artificial heart so much better. The VentrAssist™ is the latest generation of implantable heart devices known as a left ventricular assist system (LVAS). It has only one moving part - a hydrodynamically suspended impeller. The VentrAssist™ weighs just 298 g and is made of titanium. It is less than 60 mm in diameter and is suitable for use in children and adults.
The VentrAssist™ artificial heart is a project involving a number of different Australian researchers. Staff at the School of Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney are partners in developing the rare-earth magnet motor, the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, UNSW is helping to analyse the flow of fluid in the device and measuring blood damage. The University of Sydney is evaluating different coatings for blood compatibility.
Having successfully implanted the VentrAssist™ into animals, Ventracor is currently conducting clinical trials at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. Eight patients have so far been implanted as part of an Australian pilot trial to test the safety of the device in up to ten patients with CHF.
The VentrAssist™ artificial heart is a unique blood pumping system designed to provide support for a weakened heart. The patient’s natural heart remains in place while the artificial heart takes over as much of the pumping as required for daily activities.
The VentrAssist™ artificial heart is based on a rotary pump design. A distinctive method is used to suspend the rotor, without conventional bearings, shafts or seals. This increases reliability and greatly reduces the chance of blood damage and clotting. There is only one moving part and this is made from a titanium alloy which is safe for use inside people. A battery and controller are worn externally.
This type of artificial heart could well be a long-term alternative to a transplant. Recent research has shown that normal cardiac function will sometimes return permanently to a heart if it is given the opportunity to rest and recover. The VentrAssist™ artificial heart can be used to retain lifestyle while a heart is recovering, and the device can be removed once the heart is recovered. This is the ideal situation since the patient can return to normal life and will not require care on a long term basis.
CSIRO’s Australia Advances http://www.csiro.au/promos/ozadvances
The Australian Academy of Science’s Nova http://www.science.org.au/nova
The Australian Science Archive Project http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/