US doctors implant first self-contained artificial heart

An American on the brink of death has received the first self-contained mechanical heart replacement in a landmark operation.

Surgeons from the University of Louisville in Kentucky implanted the titanium and plastic pump into the patient at the Jewish hospital. They expect the first implants will only extend the patient's life by about a month.

Drs Laman Gray and Robert Dowling, who trained by implanting the grapefruit-sized device into calves, carried out the surgery. The hospital said the patient is comfortable but refused to disclose any further details about him or her.

Experts hope the experimental heart, made by Abiomed Inc of Massachusetts, will lead to new hope for patients.

Heart surgery teams at five hospitals have been trained to remove a diseased natural heart and install in its place an electric-powered pump designed to fit inside the chest with no wires or tubes sticking through the skin.

The device, known as AbioCor, is designed to allow recipients to maintain a productive lifestyle while wearing it. It is considered a technological leap from earlier mechanical hearts.

Power is sent from a battery pack worn outside the body through the skin to an implanted coil, control package and backup battery.

David Lederman, Abiomed's president, said earlier this year the company had received Food and Drug Administration approval to perform at least five human trials with the artificial heart. If the experiments are successful, more patients could be added to the trial later, he said.