First Artificial Heart Implanted in Human Patient

[Steven Bogos]

First Artificial Heart Implanted in Human Patient

The artificial heart can fully replicate normal heart functions for up to five years.

Doctors in France's Georges Pompidou European Hospital have just performed the first ever transplant of French pharmaceutical company Carmat's artificial heart to a human patient. Carmat says the operation was a complete success - the patient is currently awake in the intensive care unit and is speaking with family members.

The artificial heart, which looks like something right out of Deus Ex, includes sections of cow tissue, but is mostly robotic. It is three times heavier than a normal human's heart, can beat for up to five years and is designed for patients suffering from end-stage heart failure. But before you go rushing out to augment yourself, you may want to consider the price tag: $195,000. Ouch.

Carmat says it already has some more patients lined up for early human trials. The procedures will be deemed successful if the patients survives with the implant for over a month. Carmat says the heart could help up to 100,000 patients across the US and Europe.

"This news brings great pride to France," said France's Health Minister Marisol Touraine. "It shows we are pioneers in healthcare, that we can invent, that we can carry an innovation that will also bring great hope to plenty of people."

"We are delighted with this first implant, although it is premature to draw conclusions given that a single implant has been performed and that we are in the early postoperative phase," said Carmat's CEO Marcelo Conviti in a statement.

Source: The Verge [http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/21/5233228/carmat-artificial-heart-implanted-in-first-patient]

Permalink

 

[WWmelb]

Shit. Nuts.

That is impressively awesome. Now to really get 3D printing up and going so these things are cheap and available to the masses.

I'm impressed, though now i'm not satisfied with my organic heart, and want a robot one.

 

[Grabehn]

This is really cool, but I have one single question... Did he ask for this?

 

[knight4light]

Obligatory "we can make him stronger, faster, etc"

in all honesty though...so it begins.. the awesome days of cyborgs! first is the limbs, now its the heart. next.. the world! wait wut..

 

[Angelous Wang]

Now to really get 3D printing up and going so these things are cheap and available to the masses.

Not possible with current design it still needs some organic tissue to function.

Also 5 years is a bit short for shelf life of a heart, even more so at 200k a pop.

I am very interested though that this could be the first true test of the human body rejecting or accepting true artificial replacement. And whether we will have/need to create a real world equivalent of neuropozyne or not.

 

[RemoteControlRox]

That's... pretty darn amazing. It's the future! Although, I suppose it's been the future for a while.

Also, nobody's mentioned JoCo yet, so.... Yeah. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn9DBfXQumk]

 

[Leemaster777]

Now to really get 3D printing up and going so these things are cheap and available to the masses.

Not possible with current design it still needs some organic tissue to function.

Also 5 years is a bit short for shelf life of a heart, even more so at 200k a pop.

I am very interested though that this could be the first true test of the human body rejecting or accepting true artificial replacement. And whether we will have/need to create a real world equivalent of neuropozyne or not.

Well, to be fair, this is the first one EVER. If/when mass production occurs, it'll likely become much cheaper to produce, and with some more experience constructing them, they'll likely be able to increase the "shelf life", as it were.

Frankly, I'd say that these results are spectacular, given the circumstances.

 

[BQE]

First Artificial Heart Implanted in Human *Patient

This news is fascinating. As expressed by others in the thread, the age of cybernetic implants becoming commonplace is rapidly approaching.

The imagination reels with the possibilities of such a serious change.

 

[mechalynx]

Also 5 years is a bit short for shelf life of a heart, even more so at 200k a pop.

That's 5 years for someone who might have none. for some 200k is a bargain. Besides, that's today's technology, who knows what's possible by the time the battery is out.

This is excellent news. I hope the patient makes a good recovery. Sucks to get a prolonged life only to spend it in a hospital bed.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

We now have a functioning synthetic heart and scientist are working on a synthetic pancreas for sufferers of diabetes.

 

[Remus]

I'd be more interested in later models. 3x the weight means that even if the patient fully recovers, they have to be very careful about movement. Gravitational stresses from a light jog could potentially kill him.

 

[GonzoGamer]

And somewhere out there Jason Statham is electrocuting himself.

What does this mean really, we have to put up with Dick Cheney for a few more years?

 

[aaronexus]

"This news brings great pride to France," said France's Health Minister Marisol Touraine. "It shows we are pioneers in healthcare, that we can invent, that we can carry an innovation that will also bring great hope to plenty of people."

Wait, why is he saying that like he's surprised? I mean, I know countries such as the US and Germany have stellar reputations when it comes to science, especially engineering, while other countries ... don't, but I never got the impression France was included in the latter. In fact, I was under the impression that France was one of those countries that spearheaded basic and fundamental research by funding projects such as the CERN and ITER facilities. Strange

Not possible with current design it still needs some organic tissue to function.

In the words of the late, great Jim Sterling: Wroooonguh! Let me have the pleasure of introducing the wonders of bioprinting to you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D749wZSlb0

Of course, putting this together with regular 3D printing is another matter entirely, but if they can figure out how to hack an inkjet to spew out body parts they can figure out how to give those parts horrifying robot bodies.

 

[WNxSajuukCor]

That's pretty awesome Now we have a backup in cause of nausicaan backstabbing.

 

[RJ Dalton]

". . . we are pioneers in healthcare, that we can invent, that we can carry an innovation that will also bring great hope to plenty of people."

Yes, but can you say "hamburger" on your billboards? Not legally, so we still have you beat!

I jest, obviously. This is an impressive development. Now, if you can just make it reasonably priced, it will be awesome.

 

[ElFuzzy]

Terrible idea, they're gonna die when they try and eat their t.v. dinner.

 

[drkeiscool]

Er, what? There have been working artificial hearts since the 1980's; what's different about this one?

 

[DoctorM]

Wikipedia: "the first artificial heart to be successfully implanted in a human was the Jarvik-7, designed by Robert Jarvik and implemented in 1982."

So, um, is this the first FRENCH artificial heart or did this article take 31 years to get posted?

Serious, just a little research guys.

 

[Zhukov]

I wonder if it feels weird. Y'know, as in physically. Having a heavier-than-you're-used-to object sitting in the cavity where your heart was.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Nice, but 5 years seems a short amount of time for a viable heart transplant alternative. I mean invasive surgery like that would require maintenance every few years which isn't conductive to recovery I would think.