China’s indigenous “artificial heart” saves two patients
China’s indigenous “artificial heart” saved two from advanced heart failure in Tianjin, northeast China, China Daily reports. Patients of advanced heart failure survive record 100 days after receiving new hearts.
The auxiliary heart device HeartCon was used in March by the doctors at the TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital. A 39-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman, who were diagnosed with advanced dilated cardiomyopathy survived longer than any who had undergone the operation before.
After the successful implantation, the man now exercises by walking at least 20,000 steps every day and the woman, who is the first female to receive such a device in China, started her daily exercise routine with a goal of at least 10,000 steps.
The TEDA hospital and the Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, Chinese rocket technology developer, started to cooperate on the device in 2009, and the HeartCon was implanted in a sheep in 2013. It lived 120 days in good health after the procedure.
The animal series of tests using the HeartCon started in October 2017. All six sheep receiving the HeartCon survived more than 90 days, with the longest survival lasting 180 days.
