New devices offer hope to heart patients

By August, doctors were cautiously hopeful. The first totally internal artificial heart was humming along just fine several weeks after being implanted into the chest of a man who would have died without it.

The bionic device called AbioCor raises hope for thousands of patients who are too old or otherwise ineligible for heart transplants. While experts say it will be a miracle if the device lasts for the long term in the first patient, the manufacturer, Abiomed of Boston, says it would consider it a success if recipients live even six months. Abiomed has invested 40 years of research and development leading up to testing of the new heart.

Ventricular assist devices

Heart patients have recently been blessed with another advance in treatment. "Ventricular-assist devices" allow patients to keep their natural hearts while they take over part of the pumping function. A number of these devices are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to tide patients over until they can get one of the scarce transplantable hearts that come from donors. Several models include small portable controllers and batteries, which allow the patient to live at home. At least one in development is totally implantable.

Some doctors, including Robert Jarvik, developer of one of the first artificial hearts, think heart-assisting devices may be better than an artificial heart. One advantage: If they fail, the patient's own heart works as a backup. In addition, several patients' hearts have recovered once given a chance to rest on the device.

Those who are gravely ill with heart disease have new choices. None are easy, but all give the patient a chance to live and possibly to recover.