As a medical student Dr. Bud Frazier held a young boy’s heart in his hand, massaging it to keep the boy alive. He found inspiration from the fact that his hands could manually do what the body is designed to automatically do, and wondered if a mechanical pump could perform the same function.
In the SolveForX video Heart Stop Beating Dr. Frazier and Dr. Billy Cohn discuss the ideas behind the development of their artificial heart. The entire heart is cut out of the body and a twin turbine mechanism is inserted in the patient’s chest cavity. The flow of blood is continuous and there is no longer a heartbeat.
https://www.solveforx.com/moonshots/heart-stop-beating
Testing was first done on animals, and the doctors were surprised when a calf operated on one day was awake the next day. Using traditional medical measurement and indicators, the animals had no pulse, had no heartbeat, and were dead. The specimens standing before them told another story.
In 2011 Craig Lewis, a critically ill patient, was fading and would die within twelve hours without a heart transplant. Bud and Billy operated and inserted the artificial heart. The next morning Craig Lewis was awake, filling out one of the endless parade of hospital forms, and smiling.
It’s not clear how much testing and development the artificial heart needs before hitting the medical market. The idea that two doctors designed a fully functional heart machine based on their constraints and requirements is incredibly inspiring.