The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 69, 92-101, Copyright © 1975 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
One 25 day survivor with total artificial heart
T Honda, Y Kito, WH Gibson, T Nemoto, JV Cockrell and T Akutsu
One calf, which weighed 87 kilograms, survived for 25 days with a total
artificial heart (TAH) implanted orthotopically. All hemodynamic parameters
stayed normal except the right atrial pressure (RAP), which increased
gradually toward the end of the experiment. The cardiac output was
maintained between 8.0 and 11.0 L. per minute. Kidney function was well
maintained, and no pulmonary insufficiency was noted. Infection became
obvious after 2 weeks of pumping although it was controlled to the extent
that the calf was able to eat, to several factors, amont them mechanical
damage to red blood cells, infection, malnutrition, and liver damage. The
calf was standing until 30 minutes before its sudden death from cerebral
thromboembolism. The calf's activity throughout the postoperative course
convinced us of the feasibility of clinical application and of immediate
application to studies of cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology.