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Artificial hearts
Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood around your body
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Blood in the right ventricle (right heart) is pumped into the pulmonary artery and on to your
lungs
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Your heart

Blood from your body is received via the superior vena cava (SVC) and the inferior vena cava
(IVC) into the right atrium (RA)
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In the lungs,
blood is enriched with oxygen and carbon dioxide is removed from it
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It supplies oxygen and nutrients to the
different cells in your body
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What is an artificial heart?
An artificial heart is a mechanical device, about the size of an orange, that is connected to
your heart or implanted in your chest to help or replace a failing heart
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Sometimes an artificial heart may help your heart temporarily, until yours recovers
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More commonly,
when there is irreversible heart muscle damage and your heart can t recover, the artificial
heart stays until you can have a heart transplant
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There are two types of artificial heart
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This is called a ventricular assist device (VAD)
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It may be put into your body or lie outside your body,
depending on what type of artificial heart is being used
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If it needs to support the left side of your heart, it is attached to the left atrium/ventricle
and the aorta, and is called a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) (see Figure 1A)
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If it needs to support the right side of your heart, it is attached to the right atrium and
pulmonary artery, and is called a right ventricular assist device (RVAD) (see Figure 1B)
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If it needs to support both sides of your heart, it is attached in both of the above ways and
is called a biventricular assist device (BiVAD) (see Figure 1C)
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Figure 1

Figure 1A

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Figure 1B

Figure 1C

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Total artificial hearts (TAH) are a mechanical substitute for your entire heart
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How does an artificial heart work?
Blood enters an artificial heart from the left or right atrium (blood receiving chamber)
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An artificial heart is powered by either compressed air or electricity
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The control console
can be a large box on wheels that stays beside you, moving with you when you walk around
the hospital
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The smaller console gives you more freedom and mobility than the large console, and may
make it possible for you to leave hospital
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Your heart may fail because:
your heart muscle is diseased (cardiomyopathy)
you have coronary heart disease (disease of the arteries to your heart), which has caused
a very large heart attack, or more than one heart attack
you have a severe viral infection of your heart (myocarditis)
you have another less common disease that affects your heart
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If medicine
doesn t help your severe heart failure, you might need to have a heart transplant (for more
information, visit our website at www
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org
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If you have severe heart failure, your cardiologist might recommend that you use an artificial
heart until a donor heart becomes available
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Between 20 and 30 people are given artificial hearts each year in Australia
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However, a small number are used
permanently in people who aren t suitable for a heart transplant
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This can range from a few weeks to more than
one year
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What will happen before and after I get
an artificial heart?
Before you are given an artificial heart, you will be carefully examined by your doctor to make
sure that you are suitable for the artificial heart and, in most cases, for the heart transplant
afterwards
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Once you have an artificial heart, you will be closely monitored in the intensive care unit of
your hospital
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Your cardiologist will pay particular attention to how your artificial heart is working
and to preventing infection
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You will probably be very sick before you are given an artificial heart, but your condition
should improve in the weeks after you receive it
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You might even be
allowed to go home while you wait for your donor heart transplant
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Complications that may occur if you have an artificial heart include bleeding and infection
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Everyone who has an artificial heart must take medicine to thin their blood (anticoagulants)
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Not everyone who has an artificial heart will recover enough to have a donor heart transplant
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It is very rare for someone to recover enough to have their artificial heart removed and not
have a donor heart transplant
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Researchers are looking into reducing the size of artificial hearts so that they can be totally
implanted inside the chest
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Biologically superior materials are being developed to reduce the tendency for blood to clot
and the need for blood-thinning medicines (anticoagulants)
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Research is also being done into stem cells, which may be used to replace damaged heart
muscle cells and restore heart muscle function
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Further information
If you want to know more about artificial hearts or have any general heart health questions,
call our Health Information Service on 1300 36 27 87 (for the cost of a local call) or email
health@heartfoundation
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au
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© 2010 National Heart Foundation of Australia ABN 98 008 419 761
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Terms of use: This material has been developed for general information and educational purposes only
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Please
consult your healthcare provider if you have, or suspect you have, a health problem
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It is not an
endorsement of any organisation, product or service
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This material may be found in third parties programs or materials (including but not limited to show bags or advertising kits)
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Any use of National Heart Foundation of Australia material by another person or organisation is
done so at the user s own risk

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