HOUSTON, June 13 (UPI) -- The Texas Heart Institute said a $2.8 million
federal grant will be used to fund development of a new artificial heart that
pumps blood continuously.
Previous heart-assist pumps duplicated the pulse of the natural heart, the
institute said Thursday in a release. The experimental device being developed at
St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston uses two small ventricular-assist
devices (VADs) -- one to circulate blood throughout the body and the other to
cycle blood flow to and from the lungs.
"We have been working in this field for more than 40 years and the technical
challenges inherent in developing a total artificial heart have, to date,
limited its application," said lead investigator Dr. Bud Frazier, director of
surgical research at the Texas Heart Institute. "We are highly encouraged by the
federal funding support for this effort, and we look forward to strengthening
our collaborative relationships as we move forward with this research."
The grant was awarded by the National Institutes of Health.
