Artificial hearts have been used since the 1960s with little success. The longest living person after getting one lived a decent 17 months with it. The heart is a complex organ, but it seems so simple to replicate. Isn’t it just a pump? Why don’t patients live much longer with them? I assume the body would reject it, but I’m not sure what exactly would happen as it does. It isn’t organic so the body couldn’t really attack it I would assume.
What’s the deal?
It is just a pump, but to truely replace a meat heart, the pump and its powerhouse has to be small enough to be implanted. The flow has to turbulence free, to prevent clotting.
Both of these problems have yet to be fully overcome.
Another problem is automating rate changes. Meat hearts respond to physical and emotional situations, automatically. The heart rate must be able to increase with stress, to maintain blood pressure. The autonomic nervous system is still intact, so the heart rate must be able to respond to autonomic stimulus.
There are several external flow assist devices in use today. They have the added problem of infection. They are only for short term support while waiting for transplant, which is still the best long term solution for the failed heart.