Bionic women and men: Heart failure and an artificial heart pump

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been developed for heart failure patients when medicine does not work and a transplant is unavailable. These devices provide a continuous flow of blood around the body, creating ‘humans without a pulse’, and thus presenting a unique opportunity to examine blood flow and heart function in relation to overall health. Dr Eric J. Stöhr, of Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK, and Columbia University, USA, is a key member of the HIT-LVAD trial team (led by Dr McDonnell in Cardiff and Prof Colombo in NYC), a research project aiming to understand the biology of LVAD patients and using the insights to benefit the patients’ health and the general public.