TOTAL artificial heart approved in Europe

Carmat, the French artificial heart maker, will begin to prepare for the commercialization of its products during the second semester of 2021. In December 2020, the company received the CE marking for its total artificial heart.

A second lease on life

Carmat was created 12 years ago. The company is a spin-off of Airbus and Matra Defense. By reuniting the best aeronautic engineers of Vignal Artus workshops – makers of the famous plane “Rafale” – Carmat has developed this medical innovation. This bioprosthesis is an answer to improving the health of people suffering from heart failure. Firstly, it offers a temporary solution to patients waiting for an organ transplant. Secondly, it gives a second lease on life to those with advanced heart failure. It’s a revolution.

A hi-tech heart

Named « Aeson », the bioprosthesis is designed to work permanently in the body. The machine is required to be linked to a hospital to maintain optimal patient surveillance. This hi-tech artificial organ is made from steel, aluminum, and plastics, and mimics the real human heart by pumping and regulating blood flow throughout the body.

The rise of medical technology

Commercializing the product will first begin in France and Germany as these countries represent 55% of the Global Mechanical Circulatory (MCS) in the EU. When the CE marking was obtained, Carmat’s stock price surged (+ 46 % on December 24, 2020). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number 1 cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. Carmat’s artificial heart brings new hope to heart-failure patients.

Credits: @mohamed_hassan / Pixabay

Revision: Nathalie Wan Kee Cheung