50 cc Artificial Heart
Padua, 2015
Explant and restored model of the 50 cc artificial heart, designed for women, adolescents, and children. It was first implanted in Italy in 2015, in Padua, in a patient who had previously undergone surgery for end-stage heart failure. The 50 cc TAH (Total Artificial Heart) has a weight comparable to that of the biological heart of women and adolescents (200 g).
It restores blood circulation through two pumps connected to the pulmonary arteries, the atria, and the aorta, reproducing the physiological cardiac cycle. It temporarily replaces the diseased biological heart while awaiting a donor for transplantation. The implant performed in Padua in 2015 was the first of this size in Italy, the third in Europe, and the fifth in the world. It was also the first in the world in a previously transplanted patient.
Cardiac Surgery Unit
Padua University Hospital
70 cc Artificial Heart
Padua, 2007
Explant and restored model of the first artificial heart implanted in Italy. It was used for the first time in 2007 in a patient suffering from ventricular dysfunction. The 70 cc TAH (Total Artificial Heart) has a weight comparable to that of an adult male’s biological heart (300 g). It restores blood circulation through two pumps connected to the pulmonary arteries, the atria, and the aorta, reproducing the physiological cardiac cycle. It temporarily replaces the diseased biological heart while awaiting a donor for transplantation. The first artificial heart implant dates back to 1982 and was performed in the United States.
Cardiac Surgery Unit
Padua University Hospital
70 cc Artificial Heart
This total artificial heart, “CardioWest 70cc,” is the original device first implanted in Padua in December 2007 by Prof. Gino Gerosa and his team in a patient suffering from end-stage heart failure. This artificial heart sustained the patient’s life for 1374 days until a successful heart transplant was performed in September 2011. To date, this patient is the longest-living individual supported by a total artificial heart.
