Desi Dil, Global Lifesaver

The artificial heart being built by ITT Kanpur is the next big thing in world healthcare

- Devi Shetty

As many as 32% of global deaths are due to cardiovascular disease, making it the commonest cause of death. Replacing the diseased heart with an artificial one (Left Ventricular Assist Device, LVAD) is the logical solution. But when a solution is not affordable it's not really a solution. When an artificial heart costs nearly a crore rupees in India and over a million dollars in America, it's not a solution.

That's why only 29,000 rich patients have had an artificial heart implanted globally even though for a patient gasping for breath in heart failure an artificial heart implantation is a life-changing experience.

We have had patients with an artificial heart leading a very active life for over 12 years. Many other Indian hospitals have similar experiences. That's why the artificial heart which was initially meant only to be a "bridge to heart transplant", a temporary support for some months until a suitable donor heart becomes available, has now become "destination therapy".

How did this moonshot project get off the ground?

Building an artificial heart is a moonshot project but I am convinced that IIT Kanpur will ready an artificial heart for clinical trial within the next two years. My confidence is based on the way IIT Kanpur conceptualised the project and went about building an amazing team to execute it.

Of course, IIT Kanpur is blessed with an amazing faculty of engineers who had the guts to bet on building what is one of the most complex machines to build.