Russia's first implant of SynCardia temporary CardioWest Total Artificial Heart performed on 60-year-old female

On March 23, the Bakoulev Scientific Center for Cardiovascular Surgery (BSCCS) in Moscow performed Russia's first implant of the SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart. The patient, a 60-year-old female suffering from biventricular heart failure, is the world's 850^th recipient of the Total Artificial Heart.

“Unlike a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which helps the failing left ventricle, the Total Artificial Heart replaces both the left and right heart ventricles which are responsible for pumping blood. It is a true artificial heart.”

"There are currently 45 people waiting for a heart transplant at our hospital," said Dr. Konstantin Shatalov, who assisted surgeon Prof. Leo Bockeria. "We selected this patient to receive the Total Artificial Heart as a bridge to transplant because without it, she'd have less than two weeks to live."

The patient had suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy for more than three years. Walking more than 30 feet left her gasping for breath. Eventually, she was unable to eat or sleep. The patient says she hopes the Total Artificial Heart will allow her to experience the birth of her first grandchild, expected in less than a month.

"The Total Artificial Heart is leading edge technology," said Prof. Bockeria, Head and Chairman of the BSCCS, who performed the Total Artificial heart implant. "Unlike a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which helps the failing left ventricle, the Total Artificial Heart replaces both the left and right heart ventricles which are responsible for pumping blood. It is a true artificial heart."

The surgery was proctored by Dr. Latif Arusoglu, an experienced Total Artificial Heart surgeon from the Heart & Diabetes Center NRW in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. The BSCCS is the 29^th hospital in the world to become a SynCardia Certified Center. Currently, there are SynCardia Certified Centers in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria and now Russia.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main causes of death in Russia. In 2003, CVD was responsible for 56% of all deaths.