The world’s first cyber heart: "bridge to transplantation"
The world’s first artificial heart Aeson heart was developed by the French company Carmat . This invention will be a temporary replacement for those patients who are waiting for heart surgery. We tell you how the cyber heart works, who it will help and how much it will cost.
Who developed the artificial heart
The artificial heart was developed by the French biomedical company Carmat . The company itself was founded in 2008 by surgeon Alain Carpentier and rocket company Matra Defense . Currently, the company’s largest shareholder with a share of 13.2% is Airbus Group , another 5% is owned by Carpentier.
The company noted that the biggest difficulty was obtaining permits for the sale. Yes, it took them 10 years and it was a record among complex medical developments. However, for the first time, a European regulator has issued a license to sell an artificial heart. This license will allow the company to sell its development in the member states of the European Union.
The development of the artificial heart lasted 27 years. In 1993, heart surgeon and inventor Alain Carpentier proposed the project to French industrialist Jean-Luc Lagarde. The industrialist handed over to Carpentier several laboratories and engineers with his missile company Matra. After a while, the research only expanded, and several laboratories grew into a whole company.
How the cyber heart works
The artificial heart mimics the functions of a real one and consists of a prosthesis, external equipment, including batteries, and a medical remote control to monitor its operation.
With the help of the outer part of the device, doctors can control the prosthesis and monitor its operation. The console weighs just under 5 kilograms and can work autonomously for up to 4 hours. Therefore, such a heart is not intended for permanent use.
The prosthesis itself includes four biological valves that facilitate blood flow, two ventricles, two micropumps and built-in sensors. The size of the prosthesis corresponds to the size of a real adult heart. Therefore, the device is suitable for 75% of men and 25% of women. For others, the developers promised to design more compact models.
Who will help the invention
An artificial heart is needed solely to support patients before heart transplants. The company explains that the artificial heart is placed according to the testimony of "bridge to transplantation" (BTT - bridge to transplantation). It helps heart transplant candidates wait their turn, and the device itself temporarily performs all the functions of a heart pump.
Carmat CEO Stefan Pia said that at least 2,000 patients in five European countries (France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain) are waiting in line for a transplant, but not all will be transplanted. The fact is that survival in heart failure is less than 50% for five years. At least 26 million people suffer from it, and only 5,500 patients a year receive the new organ.
Therefore, the company primarily hopes to provide artificial hearts to the most needy - 5% of patients with end-stage heart failure.
When an artificial heart becomes available It is
known that residents of Germany and France will be the first to buy a cyber heart. But approximately the invention will go on sale in the second quarter of 2021. Analysts believe that the artificial heart has great potential, as it is needed by many people around the world.
The cost of an artificial heart system is from 150 thousand dollars. According to preliminary estimates, by 2030 the artificial heart could bring the company $ 700 million annually.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Read also: SMA: a sentence without hope?
Who developed the artificial heart
The artificial heart was developed by the French biomedical company Carmat . The company itself was founded in 2008 by surgeon Alain Carpentier and rocket company Matra Defense . Currently, the company’s largest shareholder with a share of 13.2% is Airbus Group , another 5% is owned by Carpentier.
The company noted that the biggest difficulty was obtaining permits for the sale. Yes, it took them 10 years and it was a record among complex medical developments. However, for the first time, a European regulator has issued a license to sell an artificial heart. This license will allow the company to sell its development in the member states of the European Union.
The development of the artificial heart lasted 27 years. In 1993, heart surgeon and inventor Alain Carpentier proposed the project to French industrialist Jean-Luc Lagarde. The industrialist handed over to Carpentier several laboratories and engineers with his missile company Matra. After a while, the research only expanded, and several laboratories grew into a whole company.
How the cyber heart works
The artificial heart mimics the functions of a real one and consists of a prosthesis, external equipment, including batteries, and a medical remote control to monitor its operation.
With the help of the outer part of the device, doctors can control the prosthesis and monitor its operation. The console weighs just under 5 kilograms and can work autonomously for up to 4 hours. Therefore, such a heart is not intended for permanent use.
The prosthesis itself includes four biological valves that facilitate blood flow, two ventricles, two micropumps and built-in sensors. The size of the prosthesis corresponds to the size of a real adult heart. Therefore, the device is suitable for 75% of men and 25% of women. For others, the developers promised to design more compact models. Who will help the invention
An artificial heart is needed solely to support patients before heart transplants. The company explains that the artificial heart is placed according to the testimony of "bridge to transplantation" (BTT - bridge to transplantation). It helps heart transplant candidates wait their turn, and the device itself temporarily performs all the functions of a heart pump.
Carmat CEO Stefan Pia said that at least 2,000 patients in five European countries (France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain) are waiting in line for a transplant, but not all will be transplanted. The fact is that survival in heart failure is less than 50% for five years. At least 26 million people suffer from it, and only 5,500 patients a year receive the new organ.
Therefore, the company primarily hopes to provide artificial hearts to the most needy - 5% of patients with end-stage heart failure.
When an artificial heart becomes available It is
known that residents of Germany and France will be the first to buy a cyber heart. But approximately the invention will go on sale in the second quarter of 2021. Analysts believe that the artificial heart has great potential, as it is needed by many people around the world.
The cost of an artificial heart system is from 150 thousand dollars. According to preliminary estimates, by 2030 the artificial heart could bring the company $ 700 million annually.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Read also: SMA: a sentence without hope?