Artificial heart about size of a ping pong ball gives hope to patient

On March 14, a medical team from Nanjing First Hospital in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu Province successfully implanted an artificial heart into a patient. The artificial heart, having a diameter of only 34 millimeters and weighing 90 grams, is about the size of a ping pong ball.

Photo shows Corheart 6. (Photo/yangtse.com)

It is the first time that an artificial heart transplant of this type has ever been performed in Jiangsu Province. Called Corheart 6, the medical device functions as a pump to circulate blood throughout the patient’s whole body, thus significantly alleviating the symptoms of heart failure. The device is powered by magnetic and fluid levitation technologies.

Xiao, 56, had been suffering from chest tightness and shortness of breath in the past three months. He was diagnosed with end-stage heart disease after doctors from the cardiothoracic surgery department of Nanjing First Hospital performed a thorough physical examination. The doctors thought that drugs would not be able to alleviate Xiao’s symptoms since he was in a critical condition. After a specialist consultation, the doctors decided to implant a device into the patient to replace his failed organ.

The operation was a success, and three days after the operation, Xiao could stand up and perform rehabilitation exercises around his hospital bed. Now, the device is functioning normally in Xiao’s body.

For patients with severe heart failure, heart implantation is the most effective means of treatment, according to Chen Xin, a professor with Nanjing First Hospital.

China has about 10 million heart failure patients, but due to a lack of donors, only between 500 and 600 heart transplants are able to be performed each year. An artificial heart can help prolong the life of a patient until he or she receives a healthy donor heart, while for patients diagnosed with end-stage heart failure, an artificial heart can replace the failed organ of the patient and enable the patient to live normally.

Corheart 6, with a diameter 40 percent shorter and weighing 60 percent less than a regular artificial heart has demonstrated its capabilities in preventing and controlling risks of infection, is more reliable and causes less damage to the patient’s blood than other types of artificial hearts.