Response of the human body to the first permanent implant of the Jarvik-7 Total Artificial Heart.

ABSTRACT

The success of the first permanent total artificial heart implant would have been more obvious had the patient been able to be transferred from the hospital to an outlying home care setting. Nevertheless, several major achievements were realized. First, we were able to demonstrate that the total artificial heart will fit within an adult male chest without causing obstruction to inflow or outflow channels. Second, we were able to demonstrate that the total artificial heart would sustain life on a long-term basis (at least up to 112 days) without any evidence of systemic or local infection and without any untoward systemic effects. Third, we were able to demonstrate that the patient was able to tolerate a total artificial heart without complaint of the noise or the bulk of the drive system to which he required permanent attachment and that the patient could be comfortable and totally free of pain. An additional finding, which could not be assessed in the animal experimentations, was the fact that the patient was able to maintain higher CNS activity on an undisturbed basis following the implant of the total artificial heart. It is for these reasons that the entire University of Utah Medical Center staff feel great indebtedness to the patient and his family for demonstrating to the world the feasibility and the necessity for pursuing this device as a new therapy for end-stage heart disease.