Channel One Russia: Calf with a “titanium” heart appeared in the main Russian transplantation center




Scientists provide testing of first Russian LVAD, which will replace expensive USA or German devices and save the lives of thousands of people waiting for a complicated surgery.

“Patient” is under persistent observation of the medical team and researchers. He need so much attention because his left ventricle was replaced by special titanium heart pump, which provides blood flow in the normal range.

"This device was created for emergency situation – to save patients and provide good quality of their lives up to the heart transplantation" - says the director of the Federal Scientific Center of Transplantation and Artificial Organs Dr. Sergey Gautier. Each year in Russia, thousands of people waiting for heart surgery, but some of them cannot wait donor heart for so long. Therefore, for this “waiting time” LVAD can save patient’s life - about 10 million rubles for the American or German LVAD. For this moment Russian analogue wasn’t created, but it seems that after a year of testing first Russian LVAD will be implanted to patients in Russian transplantation centers (price will be 3 times cheaper that foreign LVADs).

The pump is connected to the human blood system. This implantable part replace left ventricular function in patients with end-stage heart failure. Blood enters the pump under the pressure. There is special rotor inside the pump, which instantly spins blood cells with great speed - 8000 r/min. At the next step fixed partitions straighten the blood flow. Due to this, the rotational energy is converted into pressure energy. And the blood is injected into the artery. So all the process is very simple - only physics laws.

However, according to the head of the Laboratory of Biotechnical Systems of V.I.Shumakov Federal Scientific Center of Transplantation and Artificial Organs Georgy Itkin, everything would be easy if we were talking about the pump for water. "It's a different story. Blood is a very delicate liquid. And we must not injure it," - he says.

Therefore, for different parts of the device space and aviation technologies, rare materials were used. For example, the friction components are made from sapphire. The device is not heated above body temperature, because at the next step the pump will be implanted to real patients. Outside the body, there will be only batteries and a small control unit. Now, two days later after the surgery calf feels good and even eats. It’s amazing especially when you consider that part of his heart is artificial titanium pump. Finally, we can get an important result - pump works like a clock.

That means that thousands of people with end-stage heart failure will get a chance for normal and active life - working, traveling and walking. In addition, there is perhaps the most important feature: LVAD can cure patient’s heart. The pump works instead of heart – so the heart is resting and recovering. And six months later the donor heart is not required.