Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access

Abstract

A New Total Artificial Heart Concept Allowing Replacement or Support of the Native Heart

Henrik C Ahn, Jonas Holm, Azad Najar, Goran Hellers and Zoltán Szabó

A total artificial heart (TAH) is typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation. A device designed by Robert Jarvik has been improved through the years and under the name of Syncardia™ this has been the most successful commercially available TAH so far. Since 2008 the Carmat™ heart has been under development in Europe. The Scandinavian Real Heart™ is based on a unique physiological concept where the atrio-ventricular valve plane is of utmost importance in the pumping function of the heart. It consists of two identical parts driven separately by independent motors and in this first animal study we have used one part as a left ventricular assist device. This new concept makes the device flexible as it may be used not only as a TAH but also as a separate pump for left or right ventricular assist.