Because the heart functions primarily as a pump to keep blood circulating through the body, medical researchers have long attempted to develop a mechanical pump to take over its job in the event of damage or disease. In 1935 the French-born surgeon...

During the second half of the twentieth century coronary heart disease became the leading cause of death in wealthy, industrialized nations. Moreover, more than half of the deaths in the United States were caused by cardiovascular diseases. Many of...

An artificial heart is a prosthetic device that is implanted into the body to replace the biological heart. It is distinct from a cardiopulmonary bypass machine (CPB), which is an external device used to provide the functions of both the heart and the...

The Artificial Heart Juggernaut In May 1985 a panel of experts urged the National Institutes of Health to resume funding to develop a totally implantable permanent artificial heart: Fully implantable ventricular assist systems, in which an auxiliary pump takes over the...

The federal government remains solidly committed to the dream of an artificial heart, and is confident a recent shift in tactics can make it come true sooner, a National Institutes of Health official said yesterday. That endorsement followed widespread reports Thursday that after...

The world's longest surviving artificial heart patient, who was saved by a pioneering heart pump, has died, a friend said Monday. He was 68.In 2000, Peter Houghton's heart was so badly weakened by a heart attack sustained five years earlier that he had been given...

A 46-year-old man whose body was powered by three separate hearts in the span of a month walked out of the hospital Thursday and said he felt like competing in a triathlon. "I feel like a million dollars, actually," said patient Gary Onufer. "I feel...