Number	20637
Subject	Medicine
Source	Scientific American
State	NY
Year	2002
Publication Date	July
Summary	The quest for replacing a failing human heart with a mechanical device received a boost when a company named Abiomed developed AbioCor. The initial clinical trials of this grapefruit-sized plastic-and-titatnium machine were encouraging. However, it was later found that five of the seven persons on whom AbioCor was tried, died. Abiomed officials argue that the artificial heart is proving its worth, however, they also acknowledge that a flaw in the device's attachments to the body might have led to the formation of blood clots causing fatal heart strokes.
Category	General
Pages	9
Keywords	Jarvick-7;cardiac
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