Industry Insights · Artificial Heart & Circulatory Support
Carmat Aeson total artificial heart: design and materials of the EU's only commercial TAH
Unlike an LVAD that only assists the left heart, a total artificial heart (TAH) fully replaces both diseased ventricles, demanding the most of materials and hemocompatibility.
System and indication
The system has three units: an implanted prosthesis, a portable external driver backpack (~3–4kg, dual batteries for all-day activity), and a hospital console, linked by an ~8mm percutaneous cable. It is indicated for Intermacs 1–4 end-stage biventricular failure where medication and LVAD bring no benefit and a donor is awaited.
Pulsatile, bio-mimetic design
The implant fully replaces both ventricles, each chamber up to ~60mL, using hydraulic flexible membranes to produce diastolic/systolic pulsation that mimics the natural heart's flow.
The differentiator: the blood interface
Unlike pure metal or polymer mechanical pumps, Aeson's membranes and four valves are made of glutaraldehyde-crosslinked bovine pericardium with a phosphorylcholine anticoagulant coating; this endothelializing bio-mimetic interface markedly lowers blood-to-foreign-body stress.
The BIO angle
FAQ
How does a TAH differ from an LVAD?
An LVAD assists only the left heart and keeps the native heart; a TAH excises and replaces both ventricles, for biventricular failure.
Why bovine pericardium for the blood interface?
Glutaraldehyde-crosslinked bovine pericardium plus a phosphorylcholine coating forms a bio-mimetic interface that, versus pure mechanical pumps, lowers foreign-body stress and improves hemocompatibility.
Where is it available?
The EU is its core approval region (MDR Class III active implant), with implants in several countries; in the US it is only in FDA early feasibility study.
Related reading
- Percutaneous RVAD Enters the Fast Track: the Overlooked Right Heart and a Materials Barrier | BIO Insights
- China's Maglev Artificial Heart: from First Implant to the Global High-End Market | BIO Insights
- The Artificial-Heart 'First IPO' Race: Revenue Up Three Years, Yet Years of Losses | BIO Insights
Note: an original analysis compiled from public industry information; figures and conclusions per official/original sources. Not investment advice.
Building in China's medical-device market?
From advanced medical silicone/polymers to material selection, regulatory and supply, BIO helps global and local partners move from selection to landed supply in China.