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AbiocorAbioCor is an artificial heart developed by the Massachusetts-based company AbioMed. It is fully implantable within a patient, due to a combination of advances in miniaturization, biosensors, plastics and energy transfer that has made this advance possible. The AbioCor runs on a rechargeable source of power and is being tested in clinical trials in preparation for approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Testing As of September 2004, 14 patients have been implanted with the AbioCor heart. Most of these patients have passed away. For a patient to be eligible for implantation with the AbioCor, the person must have severe heart failure (with failure of both ventricles) and must be likely to die within two weeks without transplantation. The first patient to receive the AbioCor, Robert Tools, was implanted on July 2, 2001. He lived for 151 days before having a fatal cerebrovascular accident. Tom Christerson lived for 512 days after receiving the AbioCor, dying on February 7, 2003.
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