For the first time in Israeli medical history, a completely artificial heart transplant was successfully performed at Hadassah University Medical Center.
The patient was a 63-year-old man with end-stage heart failure, a life-threatening condition.
During the seven-hour surgery, the patient’s heart was completely removed and replaced with a special artificial heart device, made from titanium combined with biological tissue taken from animals and a high-tech sensor system. This is a breakthrough in the field of cardiology and is called the Total Artificial Heart (TAH).
Biventricular heart failure is a condition in which both the left and right ventricles of the heart fail to pump blood adequately to the body. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling of the legs and abdominal pain, and are often uncontrolled by medication and require intensive interventions such as a heart transplant or a mechanical circulatory support device.
Previously, in Israel, heart failure patients were usually implanted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), leaving the real heart to maintain vital function. However, this solution was not effective for patients whose two ventricles were failing.
To perform this complex operation, a team of doctors, including cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensive care specialists, surgical nurses and cardiopulmonary technicians, was sent to France for specialized training. They learned first-hand the technique of artificial heart transplantation from CARMAT, the manufacturer of the device, and then retrained the entire team in Hadassah.
“This is an unprecedented medical milestone in Israel, requiring extensive preparation, from approval by the Ministry of Health and the hospital management, to coordination with the Clalit health insurance fund to cover the cost of up to 1.6 million shekels,” said Professor Ofer Amir, Head of the Department of Cardiology at Hadassah and the main director of the surgery.
The head of the surgical team, Dr. Amit Korah, emphasized the historic importance of this transplant: “In contrast to previous cases where only the left ventricle was supported, this time the patient is living entirely on an artificial heart without a real heart in the body. This is the only chance of survival for people whose hearts have failed in both chambers.”
Worldwide , only 114 total artificial heart surgeries have been performed, and this was the first successful one in Israel.
According to Dr. Korah, the survival indicators after surgery are all positive, and the patient's condition is improving day by day.
This successful surgery marks a breakthrough in the treatment of end-stage heart failure and opens up hope of life for thousands of patients who are unable to receive a suitable donor heart.
Hadassah Hospital plans to continue implementing this method as part of its advanced cardiovascular treatment program in Israel./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/israel-lan-dau-thuc-hien-thanh-cong-ca-cay-ghep-tim-nhan-tao-hoan-toan-post1041903.vnp
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