This patent replaces the previous patent from 2001 which expires shortly. Since then, the design has been further developed and work is now underway to complete the clinical version, which will be preclinically tested in the spring, followed by clinical trials, scheduled for 2023.
''The patent is strategically important as it protects our pump concept in one of the world's largest markets for heart pumps. What sets Realheart TAH apart from other products is, among other things, the way we mimic the natural blood flow. The aim is to minimise the risk of side effects, which up until now have been a major problem and have hampered the entire artificial heart market," says Realheart CEO Ina Laura Perkins.
The patent also protects the idea of using Realheart's concept as a complement to existing heart-lung machines, improving their function by moving from a continuous flow of blood to a pulsating flow, similar to the body's own. This opens up the possibility of developing a further spin-off product later on.