This was the first use of the Carmat heart in Poland and the 58th implantation in the world. It is currently the most modern model of artificial heart. The recipient is a 37-year-old patient who was hospitalized with severe biventricular heart failure. As he tells it, he was unable to climb to the 1st floor, and the disease prevented him from functioning normally. Due to severe pulmonary hypertension and comorbidities, the patient was disqualified from a heart transplant.
The Aeson Carmat is a device that consists of two circulating rotary pumps, around which is a gel that drives two biological membranes into and out of which blood flows. The machine contains sensors that adjust themselves - depending on the patient's activity, and thus the exercise performed. The Carmat externally connects to a controller powered by four batteries. This allows the patient to function freely in the home environment, while mechanical circulatory support coordinators can continuously monitor the patient outside the hospital walls.
Given the limited availability of organs for transplantation due to the insufficient number of potential donors, this is an opportunity for many patients for whom heart transplantation is the only treatment option.
Prior to implantation, the Department's staff was trained by a team representing the French company Carmat - starting with the surgical sphere, qualification and management of the patient before and after surgery, along with home monitoring.
The training was attended by a team of cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, perfusionists and VAD coordinators who work at UCC MUW on a daily basis.
The University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw is one of the seven transplant centers in Poland with a rapidly growing program of heart and lung transplantation, both in adults and children. In its profile, the Department also offers short-, medium- and long-term support: ECMO, intra-aortic counterpulsation, Impella 5.5, Impella RP, Heart Mate 3 and TAH: Carmat.
Implantation team
- Surgeon: Prof. Mariusz Kuśmierczyk – Head of the Department of Heart, Chest and Transplant Surgery
- I Assistance: Radosław Wilimski, MD, PhD
- II Assistance: Karolina Żbikowska, MD
- Anesthesiologist: Katarzyna Błońska, MD - Head of the Department of Cardiac Anaesthesiology
- II Anesthesiologist: Grażyna Popko, MD
- Anesthesia nurses: Agata Dębek, MA, Magdalena Żak
- Operating nurses: Katarzyna Szymanska, MA, Kornelia Oleradzka, MA
- Perfusionists: Izabella Tyburczy, MA, Agnieszka Bocheńska, Marek Szczerba
- Cardiologist - echocardiographer: Monika Budnik, MD, PhD
- Qualifying cardiologists: Małgorzata Sobieszczańska-Małek, MD, PhD, Katarzyna Kodziszewska, MD, PhD
- Mechanical circulatory suport coordinators: Zuzanna Strząska-Kliś, MA, Jakub Kościołek
- Aeson Carmat substantive support: Ramzi Abi Akar, Pauline Devaux, Francesco Arechhi, Richard Ward
Photos: own archive, Agnieszka Bocheńska, Jakub Kościołek, Zuzanna Strząska-Kliś
