What are the pros and cons of artificial hearts?

Cons

*The body's tendency to reject foreign substances, including metallic or non-human tissue (e.g. animal tissue)

*Artificial hearts create more risks for clotting in the device

*Artificial hearts need to be replaced; they are not intended as a permanent fix

*Patients need to be on a heart lung machine and the longer they are on the machine the worse it is to their health.

*More likely than mechanical valves to structurally fail due to late calcification.

*Structural failure due to tears and perforations.

*Best in elderly patients ages 65 and greater due to less stress on prostheses and less risk of calcification.

*Better hemodynamic characteristics and less hemolysis.

Pros

*No anticoagulation therapy needed

*Only a small chance of rejection

*Improved hemodynamics

*No stent needed but stented valves are easier to implant

*Freedom from anticoagulation hemorrhage

*Low rate of serious thromboembolism

*Better hemodynamic characteristics and less hemolysis