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AbioCorAbioCor is an artificial heart developed by the Massachusetts-based company ABIOMED (see AbioMed). It is fully implantable within a patient, due to a combination of advances in miniaturization, biosensors, plastics and energy transfer that has made this advance possible. The AbioCor runs on a rechargeable source of power. The internal battery is charged by a transcutaneous energy transmission (TET) system, meaning that no wires or tubes penetrate the skin and therefore there is no risk of infection. After being initially rejected by FDA circulatory system devices advisory panel in 2005, it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on September 5, 2006 as a Humanitarian Use Device because of its limited market. Because of its size, this heart is only compatible with men who have a large frame. It has a product life expectancy of 18 months. Additional recommended knowledgeUseThe internal battery of the device allows users to move freely for one hour, with external power devices extending endurance to two hours. The device can also be charged/operated using a common household electrical outlet. TestingAs of September 2004, 14 patients have been implanted with the AbioCor heart. The study showed that the device is safe and has likely benefit for people with severe heart failure whose death is imminent and for whom no alternative treatments are available. In some cases the device extended survival by several months, allowing the patients to spend valuable time with family and friends. In two cases, the device extended survival by 10 and 17 months respectively, and one patient was discharged from the hospital to go home. For a patient to be eligible for implantation with the AbioCor, the person must have severe heart failure (with failure of both ventricles) and must be likely to die within two weeks without transplantation. The first patient to receive the AbioCor, Robert Tools, was implanted on July 2, 2001. He lived for 151 days before having a fatal cerebrovascular accident. The second patient, Tom Christerson, who was given less than a 20% chance of surviving 30 days at the time of his surgery, lived for 512 days after receiving the AbioCor, dying on February 7, 2003 due to the wearing out of an internal membrane of the AbioCor. Future
Categories: Cardiology | Implants | Prosthetics |
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "AbioCor". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |