The Artificial Heart, Revisited

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Originally, only people who were already on a waiting list for a heart transplant could get an LVAD. The pumps simply weren't designed to be permanent. But so many patients have done so well on the newer-generation devices--playing golf or even tennis--that doctors are considering whether to expand their use. We should have a better idea later this year when researchers finish analyzing data from a study in which LVADs were given to a group of patients with end-stage congestive heart failure who, because of age or other medical conditions, were not eligible for a transplant.

Does that mean we should forget about total artificial hearts like Abiomed's? Not at all. There will always be some folks whose hearts are so worn out they cannot be salvaged. A review panel convened by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute in 1999 estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 patients a year might be helped by the development of total artificial hearts. But as with many medical advances, the early going will probably be grim. Doctors in Louisville will consider their experiment an astounding success if their patient manages to live an extra two months. And if he dies before then? That might answer a few questions too.

--With reporting by Alice Park/New York

Go to time.com/personal for more on heart failure. E-mail Christine at gorman@time.com