Total artificial heart transplants: future or biding time?

Artificial heart transplant machines now provide viable treatment options for heart failure. The shortage of donor organs has created a need for artificial transplant machines. These machines exhibit increasing success in providing a ‘bridge to transplant’ period during which a donor organ can be found. Now artificial hearts have improved survival rates to approximately 80%. It is possible that these machines may have a greater role to play as their costs decrease and technological improvements increase reliability. This article outlines the latest advances in both artificial hearts and the role of these devices in the treatment of heart conditions in the future. In addition, there is a brief discussion on competing technologies and their limitations.