On July 2, 2001, technical librarian Robert Tools, 59, received the world's first self-contained artificial heart, after a seven-hour operation at the Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Ky.
A second AbioCor heart was implanted in retired executive Tom Christerson, 70, on Sept. 13, a day later than scheduled. The delay occurred when surgeon Robert Dowling was marooned in Washington in the aftermath of the Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks.
In 1982, Seattle dentist Barney Clark lived 112 days after receiving the first artificial heart transplant, the Jarvik-7. He was connected by a 1.8-metre-long pipe to a 140-kilogram power unit the size of a shopping cart.
Since 1999, Massachusetts-based Abiomed Inc. has spent $37.9 million (all currency in U.S. dollars) to develop the softball-sized heart.
The AbioCor heart is made of titanium and plastic, and weighs less than one kilogram; by comparison, the average human heart weighs less than 500 grams.
Abiomed launched an IPO in February, 2000, which raised $95 million to fund clinical trials.
AbioCor has two artificial ventricles with corresponding valves and a motor-driven hydraulic pumping system.
An electronics package implanted in the abdomen controls AbioCor's performance, including how fast blood pumps through the lungs and to the rest of the body.
The external battery pack charges the emergency internal battery, which provides up to 30 minutes of power.
The external battery pack can be worn as a belt; it transmits electricity through the skin.
Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death worldwide.
Alternatives to this heart include the Jarvik 2000, a "miniaturized ventricular-assist device" that helps regulate the function of a natural heart. Utah-based MedQuest, California's Thoratec Corporation and Ottawa-based World Heart Corp. produce similar devices. So does Abiomed.
Surgical and hospital costs of trial implants are $75,000 each--compared to $500,000 for regular heart transplants.
"It feels a little heavier than my old heart. The biggest thing is getting used to not having a heartbeat. I have a whirring sound." -- recipient Robert Tools.