Sendai (Kyodo): A research team at Tohoku University has developed a wirelessly controlled mechanical heart pump, coming closer to developing the world's first fully embedded artificial heart. The newly developed pump is about the size of a size C battery and can pump over 5 litres a minute of blood – a capacity similar to a human heart – by spinning a cylindrical magnet, according to the group led by professor Kazushi Ishiyama.The pump can be driven by holding a separate device over the skin to generate a magnetic force. An artificial heart using the pump worked successfully in animal testing. Conventional mechanical pumping systems are too large to be embedded in the human body and need to be connected to an electrical cord routed through a patient's skin. The research team will continue testing the system on animals before applying it to clinical use. Owing to the new pump's small size and simple structure, an artificial heart using the pump will be less costly, Ishiyama said. Source: The Hans India
