THE first self-contained artificial heart has been given to a man in the US.
Its makers hope the device will help make up for the enormous shortfall in donor
organs.
Unlike previous devices powered by wires penetrating the skin, the heart,
along with a battery and controller, fits entirely inside the body. The
battery only lasts for 40 minutes, but it can be recharged through the skin
using induction. “Our aim was that you’d be able to line recipients up with
other people and see no external difference,” says Ed Berger, vice-president of
Abiomed of Massachusetts, which developed the $75,000…
