Artificial Turbo Heart

[Wizzo]

Mechanical engineers at Houston university in Texas are teaming up with medical experts at the Texas Heart institute to work on a new 'pulseless' artificial heart capable of completely replacing a normal one.

These new electrically powered rotary turbopump units could be capable of replacing one altogether. With one pump carrying oxygen from the lungs to the heart and the other distributing it through the body, the implanted machinery would be smaller, lighter and more reliable than existing methods and the battery pack required less troublesome.

The sticking point at the moment is getting the heart to respond correctly to the body's demands, with the control system necessary to rectify being the job of the engineers.

With heart disease the leading cause of death the US it certainly seems like an area that warrants further research.