Abstract
Recent Food and Drug Administration approval for the CardioWest total artificial heart (TAH) (SynCardia Systems, Tucson, AZ) and ongoing investigational use of the AbioCor TAH (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) are important developmental milestones for this type of mechanical circulatory support. There are advantages that TAHs have over ventricular assist devices (VADs), but there are also two important challenges that are inherent to the TAH concept. First, a TAH must be highly reliable, as the patient's native heart is removed; and second, it must fit within the relatively confined space (especially the anteriorposterior dimension) of the human chest. Schenk and associates address the second of these problems with a novel TAH that is smaller than previous designs, but is able to deliver relatively high flows by rapid cycling.
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