A total artificial heart is used when a patient has end stage heart failure. A total artificial heart is only considered after all other treatments have been explored, except for a heart transplant. A total artificial heart transplant is a complicated surgery that can take between five and nine hours in the operating room, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Patients can stay up to a month in the hospital after surgery, depending on the patient's state of health before the operation.
Replaces an Unhealthy Heart
A total artificial heart replaces the two ventricles of the human heart that have stopped working due to end stage heart failure. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the total artificial heart will push blood through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs just as the right ventricle would do in a human heart. The total artificial heart will also push blood through the aorta to the rest of the body just as the left ventricle would do. There are two types of total artificial hearts; CardioWest and the AbioCor. The CardioWest has tubes that attached to the artificial heart and run outside the body through a surgical opening in the abdomen to its external power source. The AbioCor is contained within the patient's chest and is powered with a battery that is charged through the skin with a magnetic charger.
Ups Survival Rate
According to the article "Cardiac Replacement with Total Artificial Heart as a Bridge to Transplantation" out of 81 patients who received a total artificial heart 79 percent of patients survived until they could receive a heart transplant. The mean length of time for waiting for a heart transplant was 79.1 days. The 1-year survival rate was 70 percent compared to 31 percent of the control group who did not receive the artificial heart. Patients in the control group had a mean time of 8.5 days until they either received a heart transplant or died.
Options for Ineligible Patients
For patients that have end stage heart failure but are not eligible for a heart transplant, a total artificial heart is an option, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. According to the Mayo Clinic, patients who are not considered good candidates for a heart transplant include; those who are over the age of 65 or have had cancer or another disease that could shorten the patient's life despite the transplant and those patients unwilling to make the appropriate lifestyle. The total artificial heart can extend a patient's life for months from what is expected for end stage heart failure, reports the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
References
- "New England Journal of Medicine"; Cardiac Replacement with Total Artificial Heart as a Bridge to Transplantation; Jack Copeland, MD, et.al; August 2004.
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What is a Total Artificial Heart?
