Total Artificial Heart (TAH) Devices

A total artificial heart is built to replace both ventricles of the living heart. The entire biological heart (except for the atria) is usually removed, and the man-made device is positioned in its place. Most total artificial hearts mimic the natural heart’s rhythm, drawing and pumping blood in pulses. Piston-like pumping actions must be coordinated with inflow and outflow valves. Total artificial hearts therefore require a great deal of complexity and precision. Early artificial hearts such as the Jarvik 7 were air-driven and relied on heavy machinery outside the body, similar to today’s heart-lung machines that sustain patients during open-heart surgery.