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Show In artificial heart research Researchers report breakthrough plant, about half a million a year would be required, and you can't get that many donor hearts in that time. They just don't exist." The cost of implanting an artificial heart should not be too high by the time they come into use, the researcher added. He estimated the present cost of putting a heart in a calf at two to three thousand dollars, but added that costs like surgeon's fees and hospital fees will enter the picture when humans become patients. "But when you get a heart that costs $5,000 and last five years, that may not be too much to pay for five years of life." Five Compete Dr. Donovan pointed out that the University Uni-versity is one of about five institutions doing full-scale research on artificial hearts, all in "competition" with each other. Things would not be as good as they are in the field if the different research groups consolidated their resources into one effort, he added. "No one knows which direction to take, which surfaces to use, exactly how the heart would be designed, and things like that. If we pooled our resources we'd all be taking one direction, and the chances are tremendous that it would be the wrong dicrction." j Dr. Donovan emphasized the coopera- ! tion between different disciplines which the project is receiving. He enumerated specialists in surgery, internal medicine, physiology, physics, mechanical engineering, engineer-ing, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and biomedical engineering. BY TOM HORTON Chronicle Staff The recent 102-hour survival of a calf using an artificial heart is seen by researchers re-searchers as a major breakthrough in the field of artificial heart research. According to Dr. Frank Donovan, one of the many people involved in artificial organ research at the University, the calf s survival marks the first time that an animal has begun to accommodate to the artificial heart. "Every animal up to this point has had small clots form everywhere throughout through-out its circulation, but it looks like this animal was beginning toaccommodate.lt had no signs of that whatsoever." He added that animals usually begin to accommodate at about 100 hours, and the previous record survival, 92 hours, had not shown any signs of accommodation. "We are damaging proteins, we are damaging the blood, we are causing clotting problems, prob-lems, and over a period of time the animal starts producing substances which take care of these problems, The animal should be reasonably healthy at about 300 hours, and it is not that big a step to there from where we are now." Latest Experiment Unsuccessful The latest calf died because excess pressure in its veins destroyed its liver and lungs, he. said. Another artificial heart was implanted in a calf Wednesday, but this operation included a vacuum system to relieve venous pressure and hopefully keep the animal alive longer. Dr. Donovan pointed out that once the survival problem is beaten, artificial hearts can be put into practical use, because "we already have the technology available for a self-contained heart." He added that the propulsion system for the heart would probably work with steam and have a nuclear power-plant. The hearts are presently pres-ently run by an air compressor outside of the animal. "I tend to be a little optimistic ," he speculated, "but my own guess would be that we could have a practical heart in use in a calf in three years. Once we get an indefinite survivor in a calf then I don't see any reasons it couldn't be used in a human very soon after that." Artificial Heart Practical Dr. Donovan believes the artificial heart is by far the most practical way to solve the problem of complete heart failure. "Two things trouble heart transplants: First, they haven't been successful. The real long survivors are rare. The other' reason is that it is not a practical means of treating heart disease. In this country alone, if we had an artificial heart that would work, and was economical to im- f ' j V V ': 'iNY.-'" .-v y .... ,;. , v Vv , .,V:,;0;l i I . H L ' ' , w . . A Urfs... sv i W ; v-v"-T lA A f '1- ' - ..ir I ' A "'.'- I t '- f ty ;. 1 ' ' 4 ' , - An artificial heart transplant performed on a calf resulted in 102 hours of survival and the first time an animal has been able to adjust to an artificial heart. It has been termed as a major breakthrough in the field of artificial heart research. M |
