Billed as the world's most advanced artificial heart, the Carmat artificial heart will soon be launched by Carmat, a med-tech startup company based in France. The said product will arrive in Europe in the second quarter of 2021.
Carmat Artificial Heart Is a New Hope for Those with Heart Failure
In a report by France 24 on January 14, Carmat is now moving to sell its artificial heart called 'Aeson' this year. Moreover, the Carmat artificial heart is just similar to a real heart, and the only difference is it relies more on sensors and other biotechnological materials.
"The idea behind this heart, which was born nearly 30 years ago, was to create a device which would replace heart transplants, a device that works physiologically like a human heart, one that's pulsating, self-regulated and compatible with blood," Stéphane Piat, Carmat's CEO, said in an interview with Reuters.
According to a survey conducted in Europe, an approximate number of 2,000 patients with heart failure are now in line to receive the Carmat artificial heart soon.
For those who have biventricular heart failure that is already on the late stage, this artificial device will act as a substitute heart which can last for years in usage.
According to Gizmodo, Dr. Vladimir P. Demikhov was the first one to perform the first total artificial heart transplant, which dated more than 80 years ago. Since then, experts are finding ways to implant the artificial heart permanently in the patient.
While other total artificial hearts only last for some time, Carmat's artificial heart is said to be entirely implantable to the patient. The device will be decorated with sensors, and in the case of a make-shift blood flow, hydraulics will also be applied.
Not only the mimicry of the real human heart is beyond perfect, but it will also decrease the possibility of blood clots in animal tissues which are exposed under chemical treatment.
Carmat artificial heart is also totally adjustable. If you want to sleep, it could be lowered or if you want to exercise, you would want to increase its blood flow.
While the average weight of the heart is 345.9 g and 285.1 g for men and women respectively, Carmat's product is said to weigh 900 grams, which is thrice the weight of a human heart. Like any other devices, it is a battery-powered equipment which could run up to four hours.
Surprisingly, Carmat's total artificial heart should last for five years. By then, a heart-failure patient will still enjoy living the normal way like others do.
Still, SynCardia remains to be the sole company to have their total artificial heart approved by the FDA across Europe and North America.
Components and Advantages of Carmat over SynCardia
In an article by Gilmore Health, Carmat's artificial heart has three components:
1. A prosthesis that is implantable. Its compositions are as follow:
pumps
sensors
valves
cables
2. An external hardware which can be sealed in a pouch.
3. A controller which is used for monitoring the function of the device. It is utilized by the med-tech team.
Carmat's advantages:
1. Carmat's artificial heart is noise-free while Syncardia's device will generate noise due to the fact that it is controlled through an airflow system.
2. There's no need anymore for the patients to intake medicines that will make their blood thinner when it comes to Carmat's device. SynCardia used to do that.
3. An external actuator is no longer needed in Carmat because it already has an integrated internal actuator.
Time will come that biotechnology will be at par with the gadgets that we use at home like our smartphones. For the meantime, let's watch how the world develops a world-class device that took 27 years to create, which will change our lives forever.
Related Article: Artificial Hearts Are Saving 3 In 4 Patients Awaiting Transplants
This article is owned by Tech Times.
Written by Joen Coronel
