By Fathanah Kharian
The heart, one of the most irrevocable and important organs in the body. More than 5000 heart transplants occur annually around the world and up to 50,000 people are waiting to receive a heart donor. An artificial heart is a pump used to replace damaged heart ventricles and valves. It acts as a temporary solution to prolong patients’ lives while waiting for a heart donor. The history of the artificial heart is proof of human’s ingenuity and persistence in face of medical challenges but also passion and dedication in ensuring patients receive the best treatment they could offer.
The roots of the artificial heart research can be traced back to the mid-20th century, the concept of the first artificial heart was designed by one of the earliest pioneers Dr. Paul Winchell, a renowned actor and inventor, who collaborated with Dr. Henry Heimlich. Together, they developed the first prototype of an implantable artificial heart in the 1950s. Although it was proven unsuccessful, it laid the groundwork for future innovations in artificial heart technology.
The first ever implantable artificial heart was created by Vladimir Demikhiv in 1937 which was implanted in a dog who only survived for 2.5 hours.
Following this, in 1969, Dr Denton Cooley made history by implanting the first artificial heart, known as the Cooley-Artois-De Bakey heart, in a human patient. The 47 year old patient had severe heart failure and only lived for nearly three days whilst waiting to receive a human heart for organ transplant. While this early device was intended as a temporary device to sustain the patient’s life until a donor heart became available, it represented a significant leap forward in the field of cardiac surgery.
Another pivotal moment came in 1982, the world’s first permanent artificial heart known as Jarvik-7 was created and designed by pioneer Dr. Willem Johan Kolff, Dr. William DeVries and Dr. Robert Jarvik. It was implanted in Barney Clark (61) who previously had congestive heart failure. Dr. William Devries replaced his dying heart with the artificial heart connected to a 400-pound air compressor permanently following Clark. He only lived 112 days before succumbing to complications. This was a huge breakthrough in the medicine field and despite the controversies and the ethical debates surrounding its use, the Jarvik-7 paved the way for future generations of artificial heart technology.
In the decades that followed, artificial heart technology went under rapid evolutions. Innovations such as the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart was approved by the FDA in 2004 and are offered to patients with end stage heart failure either by providing a bridge for transplantation or using it as a long term treatment approach A total of 2000 patients’ lives have been saved in 2021 by this
device and the longest living patient has been recorded to live for only 3.75 years.
Today, artificial heart research continues to push boundaries on what is possible in cardiovascular medicine. And although a permanent artificial heart has not been developed yet, scientists are exploring tissue engineering to develop a biohybrid model of the human heart
mimicking the structure and function of the cardiac tissue. Others have created structurally similar hearts by using non organic components like silicone.
In conclusion, the history of the artificial heart shows how innovative, compassionate and persistent humans are. From the efforts of the early visionaries back to the mid 20th century to the cutting edge technology of today. Artificial hearts have completely transformed the cardiovascular field and given hope to millions of patients around the world. With the goal of improving patients’ outcomes and everyone’s quality of life in mind, the search for a sustainable and effective artificial heart is still ongoing.
Astra Stem 
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