We are one step closer to fulfilling everyone’s greatest dream/fear: becoming a terrifying race of immortal cyborgs! French biomedical firm Carmat has successfully implanted its prototype long-lasting artificial human heart, and the patient is alive and kicking.
Carmat implanted the heart on Wednesday in an unnamed patient, and said the surgery “went satisfactorily.” The patient is now “conscious and speaking to relatives,” but hopefully not saying things like, “I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.”
Though artificial hearts have been used for years as a temporary measure until a real organ can be found for donation, the Carmat heart is designed to be used as a longer-term solution; it’s viable enough to even send patients back home, or to work. The heart is made of biomaterials and sensors (instead of the typical pump) in order to better mimic heart contractions, and will hopefully lessen the risk of blood clots of rejection.
The hearts are meant to help the nearly 100,000 people in Europe and the US who are in need of heart transplants. If all goes well after a month with patient one, the study will go on to implant the hearts in another twenty patients.
There is no word yet on whether or not the first patient looks anything like Michael Ealy, but we can dream.
(via AFP, image via Svet Ivantchev)
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