London, Oct 29: In the race to create the world`s
first fully functioning artificial heart, French scientists
have turned to technology from satellites and aeroplanes.
The new heart could save millions of lives if it works in
humans. So far, it has only been tested in animals. The device
was unveiled at a press conference in Paris on Monday.
"It`s the same principle in the aeroplane as in the body,"
said Patrick Coulombier, chief operating officer of Carmat, the
heart`s manufacturer, a subsidiary of the European Aeronautics
Defence and Space agency, makers of the Airbus plane.
Coulombier said the same tiny sensors that measure air
pressure and altitude in an aeroplanes or satellite are also in
the artificial heart, detecting things like the heart`s pumping
speed and the pressure on its walls.
That should allow the device to respond immediately if the
patient needs more or less blood. The heart is expected to cost
about 150,000 euros or USD 192,140.
Previous artificial hearts have been unable to
automatically vary their pumping speed and must be tweaked
externally. The French heart is also the most lifelike, with
two pumps to send the blood into the lungs and the rest of the
body, just like a real heart.
Past artificial hearts have only had one pump.
"This could be a bases-loaded home run if it works," said
Dr Douglas Zipes, past president of the American College of
Cardiology and professor of cardiology at Indiana University.
Zipes was not linked to the French research.
In 2000, the Jarvik "heart," a pump that helped patients`
hearts circulate blood, was first implanted into patients in
the US.
Bureau Report
