Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur have created an artificial heart that they estimate will be 30 times cheaper than Western counterparts and much more reliable. The unusual design is based on the cockroach heart, 13 chambers and step by step pressure pumping should improve reliability and reduce harm to living cells. The device is now being tested on animals, and if the tests succeed, the first human implant could be possible in three years.

A group of scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur has developed a unique artificial heart, which will cost about 2,000 dollars.
The reliability of the prototype developed by Indian scientists will be an order of magnitude higher than that of existing Western analogues, while the cost will be about 30 times lower.
The high level of reliability is ensured by the unconventional design of the mechanism — it is based on the heart of a cockroach.
"The cockroach is an extraordinarily hardy insect. It existed before humans appeared and, most likely, will live on Earth when humans are no longer here," said the head of the research group, Professor Sudjoy Guhha.
The scientist explained that the cockroach’s heart consists of 13 chambers, whereas the human heart has four. The cockroach’s heart continues to work even if one of the chambers fails. Failure of one chamber in the human heart causes it to stop and leads to death.
"Blood pressure in our prototype is pumped step by step in five of the 13 chambers. In existing Western analogues, one chamber works, and the pressure is pumped all at once, which has a destructive effect on living cells," Guhha said.
The professor said that a combination of plastic and metal is used in making the artificial heart.
A group of ten researchers from the Kharagpur institute worked for three years to create the artificial heart. The research was funded by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India.
The artificial heart is now being tested on a frog: it is pumping blood while located outside its body. According to Guhha, permission has already been obtained to implant the prototype into a living organism for further experiments. "In May we will put the heart into a goat," the scientist said.
According to Guhha, it will take another year to complete the cycle of animal testing, after which human trials can begin. This will require government approval. Leading cardiac surgeons from the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi will take part in the experiments.
If the experiments show that the device works, the first artificial heart could be implanted in a person within three years, Guhha said.
Doctors have given a positive assessment of the work of the Kharagpur bioengineers. "The project is at an early stage, and it is difficult for me to assess it, but it is a good project that needs to be developed," Rajiv Narang, a cardiac surgeon from AIIMS who is participating in the project, told RIA Novosti.