The Niguarda hospital in Lombardy has made medical history by performing the first ever artificial heart implant. The groundbreaking procedure involved inserting a device into the patient’s chest that completely replaces the natural heart.
Equipped with biological valves, the artificial heart functions very closely to a natural heart. This latest generation device was used to treat a patient suffering from severe heart failure with dysfunction of the left and right ventricle, who had been waiting for a heart transplant for several months.
The operation was successfully carried out by the Cardiac Surgery and Heart Transplant team, directed by Claudio Russo, and supported by the Anesthesia and Cardiothoracic Resuscitation staff, directed by Michele Mondino. The new device will allow the patient to face the waiting period before the heart transplant with a better quality of life.
The new generation artificial heart completely replaces the native heart. The device consists of a left ventricular chamber and a right ventricular chamber, differentiating it from the assistance systems normally used. The artificial heart with its four biological valves is capable of generating a physiological pulsed flow, protecting against all possible complications of continuous flow.
The implant surgery is a complex procedure that requires the total removal of the native heart, which is sectioned at the level of the tricuspid and mitral valve. The system is activated through electromagnetic means and the energy is supplied via a percutaneous cable.
This type of device represents a significant advancement in improving the conditions of those who suffer from biventricular heart failure and require a heart transplant. The hope is that in the near future, the use of the artificial heart will be perfected and become a definitive alternative solution to heart transplantation, especially for patients with biventricular cardiac dysfunction and contraindications to heart transplantation.