Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/308706
t m c » p u l s e | m a y 7, 2 0 1 4 15 In 2003, he implanted the first suc- cessful HeartMate II, a descendant of the Hemopump. The HeartMate II has become the device most widely used today—both as a bridge to transplant and as destination therapy. Frazier first implanted a con- tinuous-flow pump as a total heart replacement in 2005, in a calf. Later, after numerous lab experiments, he implanted a similar device in a patient, We have shown in many cases that the heart will improve enough that the pump can be removed, eliminating the need for the patient to have a transplant or be dependent on a device. Frazier remains dedicated to developing new technology to sustain, replace, or heal damaged hearts. He is currently working at the THI with an engineering group led by Daniel Timms on a new continuous-flow artificial heart that Frazier believes could be the most revolutionary artificial heart ever. Given his extraordinary career, no one would expect anything less. TOP: Throughout his career, Frazier, pictured alongside Cooley, right, has been active in the development and implantation of heart assist devices. BOTTOM: He was also an early champion of the continuous-flow pump as an assist device, which was among the topics he and colleague William Cohn, M.D., discussed during a 2012 TEDMED presentation. (Credit: Texas Heart Institute) thereby proving that a human, as well as experimental animals, could survive with a pulseless total heart device. Frazier learned that the native heart can, in some cases, recover if it is allowed to rest with the help of an assist device. When this occurs, the device can be removed entirely. "We have shown in many cases that the heart will improve enough that the pump can be removed, eliminating the need for the patient to have a transplant or be dependent on a device." When talking about transplants, Frazier shows the combined sense of responsibility and compassion that helped drive his exceptional career. "To me it has always been a conundrum to know that a heart transplant depends on someone else's misfortune. And, younger patients who have transplants may not have a normal life expectancy. With heart assist devices and artificial hearts, I think that we can significantly improve the outcomes for these patients."