France implants its 1st artificial heart in human

Professor Christian Latremouille (L), member of the department of cardiovascular surgery and transplantation of organs at Georges Pompidou European Hospital, French Social Affairs and Health Minister Marisol Touraine (C) and Alain Carpentier, surgeon and Carmat co-founder attend a news conference at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, Dec 21, 2013. France's Carmat said on Friday it had carried out its first implant of an artificial heart that can beat for up to five years, adding that the operation had gone smoothly. The implant operation was performed on Wednesday, the biomedical firm said in a statement. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS - France's CARMAT, the world's leader in developing total artificial heart, on Friday announced its first-in-man implantation of bioprosthetic artificial heart.

The operation was performed on Wednesday by a team from the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, CARMAT said in a statement.

"The implantation went smoothly, with the prosthesis automatically providing blood flow at physiologic conditions. The patient is currently being monitored in the intensive care unit. He is awake and talks with his family." it added.

"We are delighted with this first implant, although it is premature to draw conclusions given that a single implant has been performed and that we are in the early postoperative phase," says Marcello Conviti, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT.

The artificial heart was developed by a team of engineers from EADS company and the inventor of heart valves, Alain Carpentier.

CARMAT's new device, which can beat for many years, aimed at overcoming the shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from heart failure.