Guess the THING

Go on, have a go. What is it? Only scroll down enough to see the photo. You'll never guess. It's the wrong shape and colour, for a start.

Ignore the terrible pairing of formal shoes and tracksuit trousers. This isn't a fashion blog and he's been in hospital so is only wearing what his wife could hurriedly stuff in a carrier bag as they carted him off.



It's an artificial heart a man got sent home with at Christmas. That's a heart! They waited a few weeks before sending out the press release just in case he died on Boxing Day. Mildly inconvenient to take with you everywhere, but still better than not having a heart at all and therefore being stuck writing cynical internet updates for the rest of your life.

CardioWest Artificial Heart Patient Goes Home for Christmas

French Patient Plays Santa for Grandchildren

TUCSON, Ariz. -- On Dec. 25, 2008, CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart patient Mr. Potiron left University Hospital of Nantes for the first time in more than a year to spend Christmas at home with his family using the European portable driver.

"This Christmas was my best Christmas ever. There is no place like home," said Mr. Potiron, who dressed up as Santa Claus for his four grandchildren. "My dream of spending Christmas at home with my family came true thanks to the artificial heart and portable driver."

"We have waited for a long time to put one of our patients on the portable driver because it is in limited supply," explained Prof. Daniel Duveau, Medical Director for the Thorax Institute at University Hospital of Nantes. "We eagerly await the arrival of the new Companion Driver System so that more of our artificial heart patients can enjoy a near-normal quality of life at home. Many of these patients can shop, travel, visit family and live life like people with human hearts. Quality of life is very important because these patients can wait up to two years for a matching human heart due to the shortage of donors."

"Without the CardioWest artificial heart, I wouldn't be here today. I feel healthier than I have in years," said Mr. Potiron, who received his artificial heart on Nov. 18, 2007, after suffering two heart attacks.

In Q1 2009, SynCardia will apply for CE approval of the Companion Driver in Europe and apply to the FDA to conduct an IDE clinical study of the Companion Driver in the U.S. The Companion Driver is designed for use in the hospital and at home. SynCardia projects a 400% increase in the number of patients benefiting from the CardioWest artificial heart in the 24 months following regulatory approvals.

Originally designed as a permanent replacement heart, the CardioWest artificial heart is currently approved as a bridge to human heart transplant for patients dying from end stage biventricular failure.

The CardioWest artificial heart is the first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE Mark approved temporary Total Artificial Heart in the world. There have been more than 770 implants of the CardioWest artificial heart, accounting for more than 150 patient years of life on the device.