Maria Guirguis

BME Seminar I

Dr. Sun

Abiocor-the artifical heart

What is the abiocor?

• AbioCor artificial heart is the world’s first completely self-contained replacement heart.

• FDA approved, there were clinical trials, and people living with it.

Before the abiocor

Before the AbioCor, the total artificial heart was the answer to total heart failure. One of the problems with this invention is the fact that it has a tube protruding from the chest. If the AbioCor’s advantage is that it is contained within the body.

Who invented the abiocor?

• Dr. Lederman, an aerospace engineer, founded a small company called AbioMed in 1981, with the hopes of extending lives while providing a greater degree of independence for gravely debilitated heart patients awaiting a transplant.

• Working with Dr. Robert Kung, the company’s chief scientific officer, he brought together a research team (including other aerospace engineers) that designed the AbioCor.

Who are the patients that could benefit form the abiocor?• The AbioCor is intended for use with patients who suffer from biventricular heart failure and

for whom a heart transplant is not an option.

• These patients are put on a waitlist for a heart transplant.

• There are roughly just over 2,000 hearts donated and that is not nearly enough for all the people on the wait list.

What is biventricular heart failure?

• Heart failure is when the heart loses its ability to pump blood efficiently through your body.

• Oxygen and nutrients in blood provide the body with the energy it needs to operate normally, and if the heart does not pump these to your vital organs – they will cease to operate normally.

How does the abiocor work?

• The AbioCor equipped with an internal motor which enables it to move blood through the lungs and to the rest of the body, simulating the rhythm of a heartbeat.

• The AbioCor consists of an internal thoracic unit, an internal rechargeable battery, an internal miniaturized electronics package and an external battery pack.

How it works (cont.)• The AbioCor is able to pump more than 10 liters per minute, which is enough for everyday

activities.

• Hydraulic pump - The basic idea with this device is similar to the hydraulic pumps used in heavy equipment. Force that is applied at one point is transmitted to another point using an incompressible fluid. A gear inside the pump spins at 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) to create pressure.

• Porting valve - This valve opens and closes to let the hydraulic fluid flow from one side of the artificial heart to the other. When the fluid moves to the right, blood gets pumped to the lungs through an artificial ventricle. When the fluid moves to the left, blood gets pumped to the rest of the body.

• Wireless energy-transfer system-this system consists of two coils, one internal and one external, that transmit power via magnetic force from an external battery across the skin without piercing the surface. The internal coil receives the power and sends it to the internal battery and controller device.

Advantages and disadvantages• The AbioCor has the obvious advantage of being fully contained in the body without any

protruding tubes.

• The AbioCor II is 30% smaller than the first artificial heart created so it can fit into more patients.

• However, it is still being altered in order to avoid blot clotting.

• Also, the AbioCor is quite expensive because insurance still does not cover the cost of the device.

• It costs approximately $350,000 for the device and the surgery.

Works cited

• http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/artificial-heart1.htm

• http://www.abiomed.com/assets/2010/11/AbioCor-FAQ-FINAL.pdf

• http://www.abiomed.com/products/heart-replacement/

• http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/health/research/david-lederman-pioneer-of-artificial-heart-dies-at-68.html

• http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DeviceApprovalsandClearances/Recently-ApprovedDevices/ucm077536.htm