[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/10157\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ENew generation of artificial hearts promises lifeline to patients\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe human heart beats 100 000 times a day, every beat circulating blood, oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. Heart failure happens when the fist-sized organ is unable to perform this vital function properly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost people with the condition are forced to seek long-term mechanical support for blood circulation. While pumps and artificial hearts have been available for more than 40 years, the options currently on offer are tricky for their users.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENew normal\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe devices are often noisy and require patients to carry heavy battery packs and have wires going through their skin to power the device. Some even use pumps outside the body to circulate the blood.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut researchers are hopeful that a new generation of artificial hearts will improve things.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Our vision is that one should be able to live a completely normal life with an artificial heart,\u2019 said Ina Laura Perkins, co-ordinator of the EU-funded \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/190157517\u0022\u003EArtOfHeart\u003C\/a\u003E project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHeart failure dramatically affects quality of life. Normal activities such as taking the stairs, engaging in domestic chores or even putting on clothes become difficult.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIt also makes participating in social activities and keeping a job challenging. Once patients have reached the point of severe heart failure, they are often bedridden.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECardiovascular disease kills 3.9 million people in Europe every year, accounting for 45% of all deaths. The\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ehnheart.org\/\u0022\u003EEuropean Heart Network\u003C\/a\u003E estimates that more than 10 million people in the EU are likely to be affected by heart failure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile transplants can offer a solution, only a select few patients are added to waiting lists for such an operation as a result of a severe worldwide shortage of donor hearts. Consequently, the prospect of an effective artificial alternative offers a lifeline for many.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs well as being difficult to live with, today\u2019s artificial hearts can also damage the blood.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u2018What I think is preventing artificial hearts from really realising their full potential is the blood-related complications that patients suffer,\u2019 said Perkins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EOur vision is that one should be able to live a completely normal life with an artificial heart.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EIna Laura Perkins, ArtOfHeart\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESwedish tests\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EArtOfHeart, partly funded by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eic.ec.europa.eu\/index_en\u0022\u003EEuropean Innovation Council (EIC)\u003C\/a\u003E, is investing \u20ac38 million to conduct clinical and pre-clinical testing of an artificial heart developed by Swedish company Scandinavian Real Heart AB.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe problem with current devices, according to Perkins, is that the mechanical flow they generate can create a lot of stress on the blood, damaging and deforming cells. This in turn can lead to clotting, thrombosis and strokes.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EFor instance, some artificial hearts circulate the blood using a propeller-like device rather than a pump. This creates a continuous blood flow instead of a pulse and causes a lot of force at the blade edges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe artificial heart being tested claims to be the first designed to closely mimic the structure of the human heart. It consists of two pumps that each have an atrium, a ventricle and a pair of mechanical valves. The idea is that the more natural blood flow produced in this way will reduce the complications that can arise with existing devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo gain regulatory approval, Real Heart is exploring its device\u2019s reliability and impact on blood in a series of laboratory tests. The company is also conducting a series of animal studies in sheep. The team aims to begin clinical trials in around 10 patients in 2024 and have the artificial heart on the market in 2026.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe first version will be connected by a cable through the skin to a battery belt. The hope, however, is that in the future this cable connection will not be needed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Our device is very energy-efficient, so it opens up the possibility of doing wireless charging through the skin,\u2019 said Perkins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Scandinavian Real Heart\u2019s Total Artificial Heart in front of the surgeons during animal studies. \u00a9 Scandinavian Real Heart, 2022\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u00223ccc13db-c64d-4565-bf3b-9ee7a7627fbe\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/Animal%20Studies%202June-22_Pump_2.JPG\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EScandinavian Real Heart\u2019s Total Artificial Heart in front of the surgeons during animal studies. \u00a9 Scandinavian Real Heart, 2022\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith such a setup, patients would wear a vest or a belt around their chest to provide the wireless charge. In the meantime, the device\u2019s energy efficiency means that the battery packs patients have to carry should be relatively small and light compared with other artificial hearts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInflatable balloons\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother EU project is developing an artificial heart using soft robotics. Funded by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eic.ec.europa.eu\/eic-funding-opportunities\/eic-pathfinder_en\u0022\u003EEIC\u003C\/a\u003E\u2019\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eic.ec.europa.eu\/eic-funding-opportunities\/eic-pathfinder_en\u0022\u003Es Pathfinder programme\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/767195\u0022\u003EHybridHeart \u003C\/a\u003Eis seeking to create artificial muscles that mimic the contraction of the heart\u0027s natural muscles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe resulting artificial heart can be thought of as a set of complex balloons, according to Bas Overvelde, an expert in soft robotics at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and a member of the multidisciplinary HybridHeart team.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe device has an internal chamber that holds the blood. When the balloons are inflated, the internal chamber contracts and pumps the blood around the body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Instead of having a heart muscle, like in our natural heart, we have these soft actuators that cause contraction of the heart,\u2019 Overvelde said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPumping the blood in this way spreads the force and the stresses across the whole chamber, just like in a human heart, he said. This enables a gentler motion and should reduce localised stresses that can damage blood cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMore freedom\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the basic workings of the device may seem simple, getting it to work well is complex, according to Overvelde.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor instance, as a result of their structure, the stiffness of a heart\u2019s tissues changes in response to alterations in blood pressure. This leads to an automatic adjustment in the heart\u2019s pumping force and rate.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThe hope is that the soft robotics can provide the HybridHeart device with a similar feedback mechanism to regulate its beating.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo provide patients with more freedom and a better quality of life, Overvelde said that energy efficiency is key.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018At the moment, we are aiming for the device to be wirelessly charged, and for a half hour to an hour untethered, so that you can take a shower,\u2019 Overvelde said. \u2018It is essential that you can be untethered for a little while, so that you can temporarily be disconnected from any external battery.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe HybridHeart project is testing the artificial heart in goats and sheep. The hope is to progress to clinical trials in around seven years, a step that will require additional funding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the device probably won\u2019t be better than a natural-heart transplant,\u0026nbsp;Overvelde says there are too limited a number of those available for all the patients in need of such an operation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerkins echoes this view, stressing that patients are dying because of a lack of transplants and good alternatives. This is the void artificial hearts need to fill.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU. 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