The artificial heart was placed last November by doctors from UMC Utrecht on a 54-year-old man with very serious heart failure. At the time, it was said that research was still needed into the long-term effects of the artificial heart for people with heart failure.
The manufacturer of the artificial heart has reported the death of the patient to the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate, the Inspectorate confirmed after reporting from the EO program This is the Issue. The developer of the artificial heart is the French biomedical company Carmat. This is a mandatory notification, according to the Inspectorate. A spokeswoman would not say anything about the substantive treatment.
“We are shocked but grateful for the important contribution he has made to the development of the artificial heart”, says UMC Utrecht about the man who received the artificial heart. There is a major shortage of donor hearts in the Netherlands. The UMC Utrecht reported last year that the artificial heart could be a solution for patients who cannot wait for a heart transplant because of their health.