His legacy will live on.
Dr. Robert Jarvik, the inventor behind the first permanent artificial heart used in a human, passed away at the age of 79 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was known for creating the Jarvik-7, a mechanical heart made from plastic and aluminum that was first implanted in Barney Clark, a retired dentist, in 1982. Clark, who was terminally ill with heart disease, became the first human to live with a fully mechanical heart, surviving 112 days after the surgery. Though he never left the hospital and faced many complications, the procedure marked a pivotal moment in medical history.
The Jarvik-7’s use in early patients led to both hope and controversy. While some individuals lived for extended periods—such as William Schroeder and Murray Haydon—their experiences were marred by serious side effects like strokes and infections. These cases sparked ethical debates within the medical community about whether artificial hearts were prolonging life or simply extending suffering. In the early 1990s, the FDA stopped approving the device due to quality concerns.
Jarvik, who had a background in medicine and biomechanics, was deeply influenced by his father’s health struggles, which led him to switch from studying architecture to pursuing innovations in heart technology. Although he never practiced as a physician, he dedicated his career to developing mechanical heart devices. One of his early models successfully kept a cow alive for nearly nine months, demonstrating the potential of artificial organs.
Later in life, Jarvik continued to work on more advanced and compact heart devices, such as the Jarvik 2000 and a pediatric version. Though the original Jarvik-7 is no longer in use, its design helped pave the way for newer artificial heart technologies that are now used worldwide. Despite the controversies, Jarvik’s contributions significantly advanced the field of cardiac care, and he was recognized for his work with a lifetime achievement award in 2018.
Discussion about this post