Universidad Iberoamericana

Artificial Heart
Lya Rodriguez 22-0175

Teacher Walkyria Altagracia

 Why I choose this topic?

I chose this topic because I found it very interesting, I didn't even

know that an artificial heart existed. This topic is also consistent with
my career, and I liked researching about it.
And here I come to show you what is, how it works and what are their pros and cons.
 What is?
A total artificial heart (TAH) is a pump that is surgically installed to provide circulation and replace heart
ventricles that are diseased or damaged. The ventricles pump blood out of the heart to the lungs and other
parts of the body. As with any surgery, TAH surgery can lead to serious complications such as blood clots or
infection. You may have to stay in the hospital to prevent or manage these complications.
In some cases, people with a TAH can leave the hospital to wait for a heart transplant.
Is device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to
bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the
heart in the case that a heart transplant is impossible. Although other
similar inventions preceded it from the late 1940s, the first artificial
heart to be successfully implanted in a human was the Jarvik-7 in 1982,
designed by a team including Willem Johan Kolff, William DeVries and 
Robert Jarvik.
 the TAH replaces the lower chambers of the heart, called ventricles. Tubes connect the
TAH to a power source that is outside the body. The TAH then pumps blood through the
heart’s major artery to the lungs and the rest of the body.

The TAH has four mechanical valves that work like the heart’s own valves to control
blood flow. These valves connect the TAH to your heart’s upper chambers, called the 
atrium, and to the major arteries, the pulmonary artery, and the aorta. Once the TAH is

How it works & cost?

connected, it duplicates the action of a normal heart, providing mechanical circulatory
support and restoring normal blood flow through the body. 

Estimates of the cost of the artificial heart include

charges for the surgical procedure, device and
console, and continuing medical surveillance. These
estimates range from a low of $100,000 to a high of
$300,000 per patient in the initial year.
 Pros
Heart Surgeries would be performed easily
During heart surgeries, temporary equipment is
needed to replace the heart and perform its
functions. The time needed for performing surgery
is supplied by implanting the device into the
patient's body, and it can vary from few hours to
days.
Pros & cons
Cons
 Low survival Rate
Even with the current technology, engineers
and doctors cannot provide 100% efficient
machines to replace the original heart.
However, most of the cases are not just
because of mechanical faults or failures but
because the human body cannot accept any
foreign organ, whether unnatural or natural.
No need to wait for Heart Donors
According to the recent stats, around 106,726
patients in the US are on the waiting list of
organ recipients. Heart patients are the third-
highest contributor to the waiting list. There’s
a 50-50 chance of whether the recipient’s
heart accepts the new one.
Limited Life
The artificial heart is just a machine, and
unlike nature's gifted one, it has limited
capabilities and life. The available hearts have
a life of few thousand to a few million beats
and needed to be replaced by another heart.
However, even the most successful ones can
live up to 15 years.
Thank You!