The AbioCor Totally Implantable Replacement Heart

An artificial heart with adequate circulatory support and an acceptable quality of life remains one of the holy grails of heart failure medicine and surgery. The totally implantable AbioCor is powered electrically via an external power source and has no skin-piercing cables. To date, seven critically ill patients with end-stage heart failure have been implanted with it. Four patients survived beyond 2 months, and two patients were discharged from the hospital. Both enjoyed improved quality of life with frequent social excursions; another patient is about to be discharged. While three patients died, early trials suggest that this device holds promise.