Artificial heart makers hoping to expand technology towards permanent implants

Italian doctors at Rome’s Bambino Gesu hospital saved the life of a 16-month-old boy this week by implanting the world’s smallest heart to keep him alive until a permanent donor could be found. The baby suffered from dilated myocardiopathy, a heart muscle disease in which fibers of the heart are enlarged and eventually stop the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively. The device, which had previously only been used in animals, weighs only 11 grams (adult devices typically ...