Friday, 29 March, 2024
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Artificial heart patient dies

The first patient fitted with an artificial heart made by the [b]French company Carmat[/b] has died, the hospital that had performed the transplant in December said. An [s]IoL[/s] report says that according to the [b]Georges Pompidou European Hospital[/b] in Paris, when the man was fitted with the device, the man was suffering from terminal heart failure and was said to have only a few weeks, or even days, to live. Carmat’s bioprosthetic device is designed to replace the real heart for as much as five years, mimicking nature’s work using biological materials and sensors. It aims to help the thousands of patients who die each year while awaiting a donor, and reducing the side-effects associated with transplants.

Three more patients in France with terminal heart failure are due to be fitted with the device. The clinical trial will be considered a success if the patients survive with the implant for at least a month. Carmat estimates around 100,000 patients in the US and Europe could benefit from its artificial heart. The report says among Carmat's competitors for artificial heart implants are privately-held [b]SynCardia Systems[/b] and [/b]Abiomed[/b], both of the US.
[link url=http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/first-patient-fitted-with-artificial-heart-dies-1.1655993#.Uxb7mj-SzE0]Full IoL report[/link]

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