Like the cardiac surgeons at UC Medical Center, surgeons at Duke University Hospital also made a first in July when they successfully implanted a new generation artificial heart in a 39-year-old man with heart failure in North America for the first time. Developed by CARMAT, the implant had been studied and approved for use in Europe and was implanted in the patient as part of an FDA-approved trial that is assessing if the artificial heart is a viable and lifesaving option before transplant.

“As we evaluate this device, we are both excited and hopeful that patients who otherwise have few to no options could have a lifeline,” said Dr. Carmelo Milano, a transplant surgeon and the principal investigator of the device study at Duke, in a statement at the time.

The endoscopic approach was previously used to repair single and double heart valves afflicted with an acquired disease over time, or part of a complex congenital heart defect.

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