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MUMBAI: A tiny mechanized device weighing 400 grams may soon give a new lease of life to more than 4 million people in the country who die of heart failure every year. A Mumbai hospital has brought in the technology to implant an artificial heart that takes over the functioning of the original heart and promises to double the patient’s life-expectancy.

Bandra’s Asian Heart Institute recently completed training its team of doctors to implant the device in patients of heart failure. End-stage heart disease, wherein the heart loses its ability to pump oxygenated blood into the body, is currently almost means a death sentence for the patient. The lifesaver that runs on rechargeable batteries, however, will come at varying costs. At the AHI, it will cost a whopping Rs 1 crore.

Experts say with incidence of heart failure increasing by 2 million annually and heart transplants being a distant dream in the country, this technology could be the way forward. Vice-chairman and managing director of AHI, Dr Ramakant Panda said, "Less than 1% of heart failure patients have any chance of getting an organ for transplant. This device, much smaller than the original heart, could be our solution to heart failure," he said. He explained that the artificial heart not only gives the patient a shot at life, it also allows the natural heart to recover. In 10-15% of patients, the original heart recovers and the device is then removed.

Panda explained that the artificial heart will help patients who are ideal candidates for a heart transplant but need assistance to stay alive till they get a donor. "But for patients who do not even have the option to undergo cardiac transplantation, this technology is probably the only answer to stay alive," he said.

Globally over 10,000 people are believed to be living with the device that is considered the most sophisticated to assist a failing heart. Senior consultant cardiovascular surgeon Dr Prashant Vaijyanath, who is part of the team that will be carrying out the artificial heart transplants in AHI, said, "The device restores normal blood flow throughout the body, making it possible for the patient to breathe easily. All the fatigue associated with the condition goes away." He said the logic was simple. "All organs start receiving more blood than they did before. Patients can resume their normal activities, including running and cycling, simply because they feel more energetic," he added. However, patients will not be able to swim, he cautioned.

AHI would be the first facility in western India to offer the transplant. Recently, Bangalore’s Narayan Hrudalaya too got the green signal to start the programme. Earlier in 2008, it had performed artificial heart transplants in four patients. The programme however, had to be aborted due to the global meltdown in 2009 that led to the closure of the company making the device. Now, technology has changed drastically. The device used for transplants in 2008 is all but obsolete, replaced by newer ones which are sleeker and better.

Cardiovascular surgeon Dr T R Rajesh, who consults with Narayan Hrudalaya and had performed the transplants back in 2008, termed the new technology as a game changer. "Even today if a patient is given a choice between a transplant and getting the artificial heart, the patient chooses the latter. The post-operative management of patients is simpler compared to a heart transplant. There is no question of the organ being rejected or the patient having to follow a strict regime," he said. He said Narayan Hrudalaya would offer artificial heart transplants at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. "We will charge patients only for the device and will waive off other fees," he said.

Rajesh, however, said the artificial heart comes with its own share of flaws. "Chances of infection, even if less than 10%, are there. There will be cables sticking out of the body which many may not prefer," he said. Panda too echoed the same and said that affordability will remain the biggest hurdle. "Over the next 10-15 years, the cost may come down to a few lakhs as demand increases," he said.