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French-made artificial heart introduced in Vietnam

Xinhua, September 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

An artificial heart created by a group of French experts is expected to save the lives of many Vietnamese patients suffering end-stage heart failure, local online newspaper Tuoi Tre (Youth) News reported Monday.

The 900-gram heart, made by French Professor Alain Carpentier with support from his colleagues who are professional engineers and mathematicians, can function like a normal, real human heart, said the Ho Chi Minh City Heart Institute.

It is believed to be able to save the lives of many Vietnamese patients with complicated heart problems, especially during their end stage.

According to Carpentier, the heart will be transplanted into poor patients across Vietnam for free in the near future thanks to a charitable foundation at the Ho Chi Minh City Heart Institute.

After the transplant, patients can do different activities, such as walking and riding bicycles, and also feel a faster heartbeat as normal people when they are nervous. Patients do not need to take any anti-rejection medications, according to the French professor.

Carpentier has performed artificial heart transplant for three patients around the world.

The first transplant operation was carried out at Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris in December 2013, during which the patient survived for 74 days. The second case was in August 2014 at a hospital in Nantes in western France. The patient died after 270 days. The latest transplant was performed in April and the receiver has lived 147 days so far. Endi