What Are the Challenges in Designing Artificial Hearts?

With the increasing demand and limited availability of suitable heart donors, it was more like a necessity to design an artificial heart. Imagine a situation where a heart failure patient needs a new transplanted heart but doesn’t have a suitable heart donor, or his heart is too weak to receive other assistive devices like LVAD. That is where we can take help from an artificial heart or TAH (Total Artificial Heart).

An Artificial Heart is a life-saving device that takes over the function of your diseased heart. But here is an interesting part: Although an artificial heart is designed to improve circulation, it is not a permanent treatment and is only a temporary transplant until you get a suitable donor.

Now, imagine you have to design an artificial heart that can replace the work of one of the most vital organs in the human body? Sounds challenging, right? Thanks to innovation in medical technology that what once seemed impossible has now become a reality, to support the lives of many. However, heart specialists and engineers are still working to make artificial hearts that are more efficient and are associated with fewer complications.

Let’s discuss in detail the artificial heart, its uses, challenges in its design, and other heart assistive devices.

What is an Artificial Heart?

As the name implies, a heart that is designed artificially to mimic the function of your heart. Think of it as a support that you need when your heart cannot do its job anymore. An artificial heart is a mechanical heart pump that is implanted in your lower two chambers of the heart, which are termed as right and left ventricles.

Here is how it works: Normally, the right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs for the oxygenation process, which comes back in the left ventricle and then pumps into the aorta, from where it supplies the whole body. When both these ventricle fails to supply blood, the artificial heart takes over the function and supplies oxygen-rich blood efficiently.

How Artificial Heart Saves Lives?

An artificial heart is not like your heart and is not a single piece; it actually consists of an air compressor, driver, drivelines, and batteries. The artificial heart is attached to the driver that remains outside the body and provides a rhythm of pumping action. The driveline connects the artificial heart inside to the driver outside and makes sure that everything works in sync. The batteries are the power source and supply energy to the driver to pump blood.

Now, if we talk about the complications of this medical procedure, an artificial heart is no exception. But, if we look at it as a bigger picture, it has been a life-supporting device for countless patients who don’t have other option but just to wait for a heart transplant. For many, it is the reason that keeps them alive until they get permanent treatment.

Who needs an artificial heart?

Some of the conditions in which your doctor will recommend going for an artificial heart transplant are listed below:

End-stage heart failure
Cardiomyopathy
Myocardial infarction
Congenital heart defects
Awaiting heart transplant
Refractory ventricular arrhythmias
Cardiac shock after major heart surgery
Cardiogenic shock

Why are artificial hearts so hard to make?

Making an artificial heart is indeed a complex procedure, as we cannot afford even the minor inconvenience due to a manufacturing defect. On the other hand, the complex functionality of the heart and the immune response of the body to react against a foreign object inside the body can make it even more challenging.

So, in order to make an efficient artificial heart, you need to make a design that can pump blood continuously for longer periods and dodge rejection by the immune system. The artificial heart should be able to handle the circulatory system of the body; otherwise, it will be of no use.

Challenges in Designing Artificial Heart:

Some of the challenges that may occur during the design of an artificial heart are discussed below so that you can understand more easily:

Biocompatibility:

Your body is naturally protective, and it fights against foreign objects when it detects any. The moment it finds something that is not part of you, it triggers a defending mechanism or an immune response. That is why biocompatibility is a major factor in designing an artificial heart so that your body can accept it; otherwise body responds with blood clotting, or other side effects like calcification and infection.

Proper Circulation:

Well, just pumping blood may not be enough; an artificial heart has to do it with the right amount of force and rhythm, just like your heart does. An artificial heart with too much pressure can damage the blood vessels, and pressure too low may not even meet your body's needs. So, making a heart with perfect balance is challenging when you design an artificial heart.

Smart Control System:

Your heart rate changes according to the activity you perform, such as beating faster when you run and slowing down at rest. Just like that, the control system in the artificial heart design should be able to regulate the functioning according to the needs of your body at the moment, which is a major challenge in designing artificial hearts.

Continuous Power Supply:

One of the other significant challenges is to develop an external power source that can continuously fulfill the demands of the pumping action of your heart. Batteries should be efficient, safe, and capable of providing the power your heart needs for circulation.

Durability:

Just like other heart devices, like LVAD, an artificial heart must be able to work for an extended duration without wear and tear. It is important for long-term support, or otherwise, as it can greatly reduce the quality of life of the patient.

Proper size and weight:

It is a great challenge to make a proper size and weight of the device so that it can be used by both children and the adult population. The smaller size also makes the implantation procedure easy and safe, which reduces the time for complete recovery.

Design and Materials:

The materials used in the making of an artificial heart should be strong, durable, and biocompatible. Finding the most suitable designs and materials to use in the device is another great challenge. We need a heart with design that is suitable to provide long-term support without any damage.

What are the concerns about artificial hearts?

While an artificial heart has significantly improved patient symptoms of heart failure, it does come with a few concerns. Like any major surgery, artificial heart surgery is also associated with many risks, long-term effects, and device failure. Let’s talk about some of the common concerns about artificial hearts.

Like any other surgical procedure, the artificial heart device is prone to some side effects, like infection, bleeding, stroke, and in severe cases, kidney or liver problems. Although these side effects can be managed effectively with medications, there is still a chance that they may occur. Device failure or malfunction is another concern, which may require follow-up maintenance and necessary adjustments to prevent device failure.

What is the future of artificial hearts?

A permanent treatment for chronic heart failure is a heart transplant, but unfortunately, the demand for a healthy heart donor is much higher than the availability. In such conditions, your doctor may decide to go for alternative temporary treatments that allow you to wait and heal for a heart transplant. One of the medical inventions is an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) and an artificial heart that supports a weak heart and restores the blood supply.

The reality is tough: many patients with severe heart failure are at high risk of getting worse or even dying while waiting for a transplant. To help such patients, you need to find an alternative, like circulatory support devices.

The artificial heart is a treatment for patients who are suffering from heart failure on both sides. However, current designs of artificial hearts have size and complication issues. New technology is focusing on making smaller, safer, and more effective devices that can improve materials to reduce bleeding and blood clots, and developing power systems that have fewer chances of infection. This highlights the importance of the future of artificial hearts, which is expected to increase the durability of the device without any serious complications.

How has the artificial heart affected society?

The artificial heart has affected society significantly in a way that they have increased awareness of heart diseases. While an artificial heart provides a second chance to patients with terminal heart disease, it has also increased the importance of maintaining a good lifestyle to modify risk factors of coronary artery disease and heart failure.

People are now more conscious of preventive medicine to prevent diseases rather than curing them. However, with the medical advancements and their understanding, society is now able to make informed decisions for themselves and their loved ones.

Life Expectancy of Artificial Heart:

An artificial heart has a life expectancy of months to even years while waiting for a suitable donor heart. The average life expectancy after an artificial heart is around 4 to 5 years. Although an artificial heart gives crucial support, a heart transplant is still needed for long-term survival.

What are Assisting Heart Devices, and how are they different from Artificial Heart?

Several assisting devices like RVAD, LVAD, and Total Artificial Heart are now being used to treat severe heart failure. RVAD is used when right-sided heart failure occurs, and LVAD is a device for left-ventricular heart failure. Both of these devices reduce symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients and have been used as a bridge to transplant, recovery, or destination therapy, according to the individual needs of each patient.

However, LVAD needs a proper handling technique. You need to wear LVAD-specific clothing or use LVAD accessories to provide safety and protection. These are the things that come in a beginner’s guide to LVAD, so that you can accommodate your LVAD heart device without restricting movement. For example, to carry LVAD components, you need to wear LVAD vests and LVAD shirts that can perfectly accommodate the device and keep it safe while making you independent in your daily activities.

Final Thoughts

Artificial hearts are important devices that help save the lives of people waiting for heart transplants. They work by replacing the function of a failing heart and providing a way to pump blood throughout the body. Despite their benefits, designing artificial hearts comes with many challenges, including ensuring they are safe for the body, can pump blood properly, and have a reliable power source.

Advances in technology are helping to overcome these challenges, but it remains a complex task. Like any other device, you need to consider LVAD device benefits and risks to make an informed decision. As research continues, we hope to see even better solutions for patients in need of heart support.

FAQs

How long can a person survive with an artificial heart?

A person can live up to 4 to 5 years with an artificial heart, but it can vary from patient to patient.

Why artificial heart still a temporary treatment?

The artificial heart is only made to support a failing heart and not treat the cause that is leading to this condition. An artificial heart will give you time until you get a suitable heart donor for a transplant.