Central nervous complications in subjects with artificial heart

The artificial heart is a device for urgent solution of final heart failure. The systems used currently for this task are particularly pneumatic systems that allow only a limited life comfort for the patient. Therefore they have been used for short-term application as so-called bridge systems designed for periods preceding heart transplantation. Artificial hearts should be available for such situations. They are antithrombogenic owing to their construction and material properties and thus the patient's central nervous system is not threatened by thromboembolic complications. The Czechoslovak artificial heart TNS-Brno-VII is optimal in this respect. In experiments lasting for months, however, microembolism into the CNS from a calcified diaphragm often threatens the experimental animal. This danger can be limited both by optimal construction of the pump and by affecting the calcifying mechanism biologically, or by suitable processing of the diaphragm material that prevents calcifying nucleation. Perfect technology in the production of artificial hearts warrants complete elimination of potential air embolism into the central nervous system. Therefore the aim of further research is to design an absolutely defect-free system of the artificial heart which would eliminate any damage to the central nervous system during permanent long-lasting application, either on the basis of cerebral embolism of any origin, or on the basis of CNS hypoperfusion caused by limited pumping function of the artificial heart.