Since its inception in 1984, the VCF has granted over AUD$1 million to provide training to approximately 200 cardiac surgeons around Asia. Read more about our funding program here.

Dr Chang was an original thinker and was involved in the development of various cardiothoracic devices.

Concerned about a shortage of organ donors, he secured funding to create a team of scientists and engineers from around the world to develop an artificial heart. His team made significant progress designing an artificial heart named CHAD (Chang Heart Assist Device). They also developed an artificial heart valve dubbed the ‘St. Vincent’s Heart Valve’ which was widely implanted throughout Asia.

Through sheer determination Dr Chang wanted to fulfil one of his dreams, to provide affordable heart valves throughout Asia. Key people were recruited, including a tissue valve designer, a mechanical valve designer and a marketer. It was a big leap of faith for Dr Chang’s team and for the funders involved in this joint venture between Australia and a partner and China. Operating costs were so large that the development of the project was moved to Singapore for manufacturing. An existing team member describes Dr Chang as "the driving force behind every aspect of the project; medical advisor, cheerleader and sometimes, ringmaster. All of us remain in awe of his ability to pull all this together and make this project happen." 

What is a mechanical assist device?

A mechanical assist device is a device that supports the heart whilst a patient awaits a heart transplant.

A Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) is a kind of artificial heart pump that is used to treat people with severe heart failure and is sometimes given to people on the waiting list for a heart transplant.

An LVAD is surgically implanted inside the chest and is connected to the heart. The pump supports the left side of the heart. The LVAD pumps blood from the left ventricle - large heart chamber that receives oxygen rich blood from the lungs, to the aorta - the largest vessel that sends blood around the body, effectively taking over the role of the left ventricle.

Some patients being considered for a heart transplant may need to have an LVAD implanted if they are unlikely to survive until a suitable donor heart becomes available. The device helps the failing heart and aims to restore normal blood flow.

The LVAD provides a continuous flow of blood from the heart to the aorta and as a result the patient may not be able to feel a pulse. The LVAD is electrically driven and connects to an external wearable system (controller and power source) by a thin cable (driveline) that exits the skin though the abdomen. The power source can be two batteries or one battery and electricity from a wall or car outlet.

The Total Artificial Heart (TAH) is a biventricular, pneumatic (air-driven) pulsatile pump that completely replaces a patient’s own heart. The TAH is surgically implanted into the chest after the failing heart is removed. Two drivelines that exit the skin through the abdomen connect the TAH to the external electrically powered driver. The driver provides compressed air that is needed to operate the TAH and can be powered by two batteries and electricity from a wall or car outlet. TAH is electrically powered and pneumatically driven. This means the pneumatic driver that shunts air in and out of the pump drivelines can be run on AC power adapter and battery. Because the TAH replaces the patient’s own heart and removes the problem of life threatening heart rates all pacemakers and defibrillators will be removed.

Heart transplants

A heart transplant is surgery to replace a diseased heart with a healthy donor heart. A heart is donated from a person who has recently passed away and whose family have agreed to donate their loved-one’s heart.

When you have an orthotopic heart transplant the old heart is surgically removed and the donor heart is sewn into the usual location of a heart. Alternatively if you have a heterotopic heart transplant the donor heart is piggy backed onto an existing heart and sewn into place.

The large vessels are reconnected for blood flow and circulation but the nervous system remains disconnected. This is called “denervation,” it is not possible for the surgeon to reconnect the nervous system during transplant surgery. The heart will beat and provide adequate circulation but the disconnection (denervation) means there is no nerve connection to affect heart rate and volume change inside the transplanted heart.

Both heart and lung transplant operations can take from four to ten hours to complete. Transplant surgery as a rule requires the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and can be technically complicated, depending on the patient’s medical condition, any previous heart or lung surgery and the donor organs. As with any surgery there are associated risks that can include bleeding, stroke, wound infection, kidney dysfunction, heart rate problems and early graft dysfunction.

CURRENT SURVIVAL RATES FOR HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENTS IN AUSTRALIA ARE:

What does the future hold?

Part of the Victor Chang Foundation’s work is to fund projects that lead to innovation in the field of cardiac surgery, including the development or invention of cardiothoracic devices.

Technology has come so far in the past decade, with devices becoming smaller and more sophisticated. In the future, there may be an LVAD fitted within the body that could potentially become an alternative to a heart transplant. There is the possibility for wireless devices becoming available in the next few years. With these, the LVAD, controller and batteries all sit inside the person’s body and the batteries are charged through a coil placed on the surface of their skin instead of outside the body. The development of LVADs that carry their charge for longer and become smaller, lighter and more portable is a real possibility.

The Victor Chang Foundation aims to support projects that may further improve technology like this.

Read more about our funding program here.