title: Total artificial hearts: past, present, and future.
abstract: A practical artificial heart has been sought for >50 years. An increasing number of people succumb to heart disease each year, but the number of hearts available for transplantation remains small. Early total artificial hearts mimicked the pumping action of the native heart. These positive-displacement pumps could provide adequate haemodynamic support and maintain the human circulation for short periods, but large size and limited durability adversely affected recipients' quality of life. Subsequent research into left ventricular assist devices led to the use of continuous-flow blood pumps with rotating impellers. Researchers have attempted to integrate this technology into modern total artificial hearts with moderate clinical success. The importance of pulsatile circulation remains unclear. Future research is, therefore, needed into positive-displacement and rotary total artificial hearts.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Surgical Research Laboratory and the Center for Cardiac Support, Texas Heart Institute, MC 2-114A, PO Box 20345, Houston, TX 77225, USA.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Surgical Research Laboratory and the Center for Cardiac Support, Texas Heart Institute, MC 2-114A, PO Box 20345, Houston, TX 77225, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Timms
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Surgical Research Laboratory and the Center for Cardiac Support, Texas Heart Institute, MC 2-114A, PO Box 20345, Houston, TX 77225, USA.
authors.forename: O H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Frazier
mesh_terms: D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000266:history; D006354:Heart, Artificial / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D011474:Prosthesis Design / Q000266:history*