Every year between 2,000 and 3,000 people in the United States get a
new heart from an organ donor. About the same number of people remain on
waiting lists and many die before they ever get a chance at a
transplant.
Artificial hearts are currently used as a stopgap measure while
patients wait to get a donor heart. By definition the hearts only last a
certain amount of time. That can be years — one made by SynCardia Systems, Inc.
has lasted up to 1,374 days — but it’s still not a permanent solution.
On top of that, an artificial heart requires a “driver” that has to be
worn outside the body and connects through the skin — increasing the
chance for infection.
For the rest of the story: http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/new-artificial-heart-130530.htm#mkcpgn=rssnws1
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