Several students of the “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi have created the smallest artificial heart in the world, and one for adults as well. The project will be presented tomorrow in the finals of a global profile competition in Japan.
The artificial heart grows with the child’s body. Photo source: archive
The artificial heart for newborns and children, but which can also be designed for adults, is controlled by an application installed on the mobile phone. The device is made of superior titanium-based composite materials and has a service life of over 90 years.
Alexandru Pleşoianu, the coordinator of the project initiated by the students of the Faculty of Medical Bioengineering at the University of Iași, said that the artificial heart for babies presented in Japan is fully adapted to small bodies. “The smallest artificial heart in the world is the surprise we offer this year. We do this because we want to help people in need, who have heart problems“, he specified.
The students from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi and the researchers who coordinate them won a competition in the United States last year, with the prototype of an artificial heart for adults. Now they have also managed to create an artificial heart for children. “This heart is designed to be useful from birth, so from newborn to about 5 years. It is designed so that it adapts and develops its geometry with the growth of the child”explains Alexandru Pleșoianu.
Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the main cause of mortality and morbidity in the European Union, and Romania has a mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases three times higher than the European average.
The artificial devices on the market, which successfully replace the heart, are designed only for adults and currently cost as much as 200,000 euros.
