French company announces first implant of its artificial heart in a woman

French artificial heartmaker Carmat announced on Tuesday that it had carried out the first implant of its Aeson artificial heart in a woman.

The company said the procedure had been performed at the UofL Health – Jewish Hospital by University of Louisville physicians in the United States.

“This third implant in the U.S. was a landmark event not only because it allowed us to finalize the enrollment of the first cohort of patients of the EFS (early feasibility study), but very importantly because it is the first time ever that our device has helped a woman suffering from heart failure,” Carmat CEO Stephane Piat said in a statement.

The artificial heart-Aeson- is composed of 3 parts:

One motor pump group composed of 2 micro pumps that push the actuator fluid to the membranes and generate the systole and diastole.

2 ventricles chambers, separated into two parts by a membrane, one for the blood and one for the actuator fluid. The blood-contacting layer of this membrane is made of biocompatible materials.

Embedded electronics, microprocessors and integrated sensors allowing autoregulated responses to the patient physiological needs.

One flexible external bag contained the actuator fluid.

4 biological valves at the inlet and outlet providing unidirectional pulsatile blood flow.

2 outlet conduits allowing to connect the prosthesis to the pulmonary artery and aorta.

One percutaneous driveline connecting the prosthesis to external components.

External equipment: It provides the mobility and autonomy needed to lead a near-normal life. It weighs 4 kg and includes a controller and two battery pockets providing an autonomy of approximately 4 hours.

The hospital care console: The medical team uses the hospital care console (HCC) to operate the prosthesis during implantation and track/monitor how the device is functioning.