Key result
The NASA pneumatic artificial heart driver was ultimately abandoned due to minimal clinical applicability and an incomplete understanding of cardiovascular physiology.
Why the study?
Current heart replacement technologies still lack a permanent solution, and early artificial heart development faced major obstacles regarding the power source.
This historical review highlights the early development and ultimate abandonment of a NASA-developed pneumatic driver for artificial hearts, illustrating early challenges in mechanical circulatory support.
Physiology-informed design remains critical for artificial hearts; leaves open whether current technologies have resolved prior limitations.
The sprint to create a viable, implantable heart replacement device started in the 1950s, with current technologies still lacking a permanent solution. Early development of artificial hearts was littered with obstacles related to the power source. A pneumatic driver suggested and developed by NASA aimed to discover a more suitable pressure curve through offering highly manipulable parameters, but also enable automatic regulation of hemodynamics. While improved electric function waveforms were identified, the driver was ultimately abandoned due to minimal clinical applicability and an incomplete understanding of cardiovascular physiology. The opportunity for further waveform studies was simultaneously lost.
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Ahmad et al. (2023) conducted a review in Heart replacement. NASA artificial heart driver was evaluated. The NASA pneumatic artificial heart driver was ultimately abandoned due to minimal clinical applicability and an incomplete understanding of cardiovascular physiology.
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