MB is 76 years old. He lives in Nantes, and suffers from cardiomyopathy, a heart disease that causes heart failure serious. In 2006, then 67 years old, the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Nantes offered him to have a circulatory assistance pump implanted. Indeed, he had then passed the registration age on the transplant waiting list, who is 65 years old. Today, MB has been living with this mechanical aid that makes his heart beat for nine years. This makes him a world record for longevity with a hybrid heart, half biological, half machine.
A pump that ensures regular blood flow
The operation was performed on December 12, 2006. It involves implanting a so-called circulatory assistance pump in the patient’s heart. It works as a motor that allows the heart to beat properly to send sufficient blood flow through the body. The patient’s quality of life is greatly improved since he can resume normal daily activities without suffering from shortness of breath or fatigue. The patient then just has to keep a small bag containing a regulator and a battery connected to the pump, and to observe a regular medical follow-up. Each year, around ten patients benefit from this type of intervention. This technique differs from that of artificial hearts because here, the patient’s biological heart is left intact.
A million French people concerned
Circulatory assistance is currently recommended for patients with severe heart failure and contraindicated to heart transplantation or awaiting transplantation. In France, a million people are currently affected by this type of pathology. Recent advances in this technique are considerable and should improve the quality of life of many patients: “within 5 to 10 years, technological progress will make it possible to reduce the size of circulatory assistance devices, improve their biocompatibility and provide cable-free electrical connections“welcomed the Nantes University Hospital in a press release.
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