AbioCor
Encyclopedia
AbioCor is an artificial heart
developed by the Massachusetts
-based company AbioMed
. It is fully implantable within a patient, due to a combination of advances in miniaturization, biosensors, plastics and energy transfer. The AbioCor runs on a rechargeable source of power
. The internal battery is charged by a transcutaneous energy transmission (TET) system, meaning that no wires or tubes penetrate the skin and therefore there is less risk of infection.
Because of its size, this heart is only compatible with men who have a large frame. It has a product life expectancy of 18 months.
After being initially rejected by FDA circulatory system devices advisory panel in 2005, it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration
on September 5, 2006 as a Humanitarian Use Device
because of its limited market.
s) and must be likely to die within two weeks without transplantation
. The first patient to receive the AbioCor, Robert Tools
, was implanted on July 2, 2001. He lived for 151 days before having a fatal cerebrovascular accident. The second patient, Tom Christerson, who was given less than a 20% chance of surviving 30 days at the time of his surgery, lived for 512 days after receiving the AbioCor, dying on February 7, 2003 due to the wearing out of an internal membrane of the AbioCor.
's (Jason Statham
) chest after he had been abducted by Chinese mobsters in the very beginning of the movie. However, the heart depicted in the film has a much lower battery life but gives Chev superhuman
athleticism when fully charged (for dramatic purposes). The model of the heart in the movie is called AviCor.
Artificial heart
An artificial heart is a mechanical device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used in order to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in case transplantation is impossible...
developed by the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
-based company AbioMed
AbioMed
AbioMed is a manufacturer of medical implant devices, including the AbioCor artificial heart. It is headquartered in Danvers, Massachusetts and has additional offices in Aachen, Germany and Ireland...
. It is fully implantable within a patient, due to a combination of advances in miniaturization, biosensors, plastics and energy transfer. The AbioCor runs on a rechargeable source of power
Rechargeable battery
A rechargeable battery or storage battery is a group of one or more electrochemical cells. They are known as secondary cells because their electrochemical reactions are electrically reversible. Rechargeable batteries come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging anything from a button cell to...
. The internal battery is charged by a transcutaneous energy transmission (TET) system, meaning that no wires or tubes penetrate the skin and therefore there is less risk of infection.
Because of its size, this heart is only compatible with men who have a large frame. It has a product life expectancy of 18 months.
After being initially rejected by FDA circulatory system devices advisory panel in 2005, it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
on September 5, 2006 as a Humanitarian Use Device
Humanitarian Device Exemption
A Humanitarian Device Exemption is an approval process provided by the United States Food and Drug Administration allowing a medical device to be marketed without requiring evidence of effectiveness...
because of its limited market.
Testing
, 14 patients have been implanted with the AbioCor heart. The study showed that the device is safe and has likely benefit for people with severe heart failure whose death is imminent and for whom no alternative treatments are available. In some cases the device extended survival by several months, allowing the patients to spend valuable time with family and friends. In two cases, the device extended survival by 10 and 17 months respectively, and one patient was discharged from the hospital to go home. For a patient to be eligible for implantation with the AbioCor, the person must have severe heart failure (with failure of both ventricleVentricle (heart)
In the heart, a ventricle is one of two large chambers that collect and expel blood received from an atrium towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The Atria primes the Pump...
s) and must be likely to die within two weeks without transplantation
Heart transplantation
A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplantation, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease. As of 2007 the most common procedure was to take a working heart from a recently deceased organ donor and implant it into the...
. The first patient to receive the AbioCor, Robert Tools
Robert Tools
Robert L. Tools was the world's first recipient of a fully self-contained artificial heart, called AbioCor. The operation took place on July 2, 2001. He survived for 151 days without a living heart. Dr. Joseph Fredi at Saint Thomas Hospital suggested the experimental procedure based on his...
, was implanted on July 2, 2001. He lived for 151 days before having a fatal cerebrovascular accident. The second patient, Tom Christerson, who was given less than a 20% chance of surviving 30 days at the time of his surgery, lived for 512 days after receiving the AbioCor, dying on February 7, 2003 due to the wearing out of an internal membrane of the AbioCor.
AbioCor II
The AbioCor II, is a totally implantable artificial heart based upon the AbioCor ventricles and the Penn State energy converter. It is expected to last for five years, more than triple the life expectancy of AbioCor. It is also 35% smaller than the current model, and can be implanted in smaller men and women. Also, modifications have been made to this model in order to reduce the patient’s risk of stroke, which was a concern of the FDA.In popular culture
The AbioCor heart is featured in the film, Crank: High Voltage, when it is transplanted into the main character Chev CheliosChev Chelios
Chev Chelios is the protagonist from the 2006 film Crank and its 2009 sequel, Crank: High Voltage. He is portrayed by Jason Statham.-Biography:Chev Chelios was born in London and lived with his mother, Karen Chelios...
's (Jason Statham
Jason Statham
Jason Statham born 12 September1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels...
) chest after he had been abducted by Chinese mobsters in the very beginning of the movie. However, the heart depicted in the film has a much lower battery life but gives Chev superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
athleticism when fully charged (for dramatic purposes). The model of the heart in the movie is called AviCor.
External links
- Information on the Artificial Heart in the collection of the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
- AbioMed product information
- FDA Approval Press Release September 5, 2006.