France's artificial heart recipient dies two months after pioneering operation

The recipient of an artificial heart made by the French company Carmat, has died, two and a half months after the implant operation.

Georges-Pompidou European Hospital in Paris. KoS/Wikimedia Commons

The 76 year-old man fitted with the heart died on Sunday, according to the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris.

The causes of death "will not be known until after a thorough analysis of the abundant medical and technical data that has been recorded", the hospital added.

Artificial hearts are used as a temporary fix for patients with chronic heart problems and the aim of the Carmat bioprosthesis is to try to provide a longer-term solution during the wait for a donor's heart.

The Carmat heart can beat for up to five years, a year longer than the only other artificial heart on the market.

The patient, who was suffering from a terminal heart disease, received the artificial heart in December 18, three months after French authorities gave the green light to conduct human trials in three hospitals.

All the patients selected for thte trails suffered from terminal heart failure and the relative success of the device depended on whether the patient survived for at least one month.

In the US, AbioCor, a rival artificial heart to the one made by Carmat, is authorised for patients with end-stage heart failure, and a life expectancy of fewer than 30 days.