Surgical positioning of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart

The Jarvik-7 total artificial heart has been implanted in 18 patients at the time of this writing. Eleven patients received the 100 ml heart, and the remaining seven were treated with the 70 ml device. To date, five patients have been implanted for permanent use with an average survival in excess of 9 months, and the longest survival is more than 1 1/2 years following implantation of the heart. Complications related to positioning were a contributing factor in the death of one patient. Thirteen patients have received the Jarvik-7 heart as a bridge to transplant. Three died before transplant, and the remaining ten have been transplanted. To date, all are alive, several are home and in excellent condition, and several are still hospitalized but are expected to be released shortly. Three patients have experienced serious complications after transplantation. One patient rejected her heart transplant, was reimplanted with the artificial heart, and now has been sustained for more than 3 months. At this time she is in good condition awaiting a second donor. Selection of the appropriate size Jarvik-7 artificial heart for the individual patient can best be made based on measurements of thoracic dimensions obtained from a computed tomography scan and calculation of body surface area. The appropriate medial or lateral positioning can be determined and decisions concerning the lengths of the grafts and cuffs, excision or nonexcision of the left pericardium, and air drive line position can be made. The Jarvik-7 heart can be successfully used in patients from 50 kg. However, at the lower size limit in patients from approximately 50 to 65 kg, the risk of fit complications is the greatest and availability of an even smaller model heart would be desirable.