Scientists develop world's first bionic heart without a pulse

Scientists at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia have successfully tested the world's first bionic heart without a pulse in a live and healthy sheep. The researchers replaced the pulse action with a spinning disc that pumps blood around the body to create the ground-breaking device which is set for human trials within three years. The device could provide a real alternative to organ donation for millions of people around the world who are diagnosed with heart disease every year.

As Ecumenicalnews.com reports, inside the bionic heart, a small bladed disk spins at 2000 revolutions per minute to pump blood around the body without a pulse. This is quite different from the traditional pulse-based designs that included balloon-like sacs to pump blood. According to Daniel Timms, the lead designer of the device, known as a BiVACOR, the device can last 10 years longer than the previous designs as it uses magnetic levitation to keep the components apart to prevent their wear and tear.

In January, researchers implanted the device in sheep because the animal represents the chest size of women and children. Researchers found the sheep to be awake and eating within six hours of surgery, thus raising hopes of human trials within three years. However, users of the bionic heart will not have a pulse. The researchers have now launched a crowd-funding campaign called the Common Good to raise an amount of $5 million that is required for testing the device in humans.

Timms, who began the project after his father died from heart problems in 2006, said, "We've now shown that the device works. This idea is viable. Now it's a matter of making it robust and reliable so that it works in a patient. The time frame is three to five years before it could be ready for humans. We need to test it for a year to confirm its safety and regulatory properties before we implant it in a patient."

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