A new type of artificial heart that propels blood through the body instead of pumping it could offer the first permanent mechanical replacement for people with failing hearts, according to the researchers working on the device.
Because of the heavy workload, an artificial heart that uses many moving parts to pump blood would quickly wear out, Dr. William Cohn, chief medical officer of BiVACOR, told ABC News.
But there is only one moving part in the bionic heart being developed by BiVACOR, which is headquartered at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston.
"The device has performed in many respects better than any artificial heart anybody has come up with in the last 50 years," Cohn told ABC News.
He and his colleagues consider it the "first legitimate shot on goal for a permanent mechanical replacement for the failing human heart," he added.