Artificial hearts created by Chongqing Evaheart Medical Instruments Co have been approved for the market and are expected to become available next year for at least 30 percent less than the international price, according to an announcement by the company on Nov 23.

As a major advanced medical instrument project of the company, the artificial hearts have completed 12 clinical trials in Fuwai Hospital and Wuhan Union Hospital, resulting in no deaths or cerebral complications as of Nov 19.

Participants all recovered uneventfully with their life quality greatly improved. The outcome was praised as "the best clinical trail in the world" by Hu Shengshou, an academician of the China Engineering Academy at the International Conference for Artificial Organs held in Japan in November.

This marks an end to the era when artificial hearts could only be produced in Japan, America, Germany and France.

According to the chairman of Chongqing Evaheart, an artificial heart is composed of artificial blood vessels, an internal blood plump, an external controller and cables which connect them.

The blood flows into the blood plump through the artificial blood vessels from the left ventricle, and then flows into the aorta, pushed by centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the impeller in the blood plump and helping the patients with their blood circulation.

Estimates for the number people in China who suffer from heart failure amount to over ten million, among whom many die owing to the lack of a heart donor.

With Chongqing Evaheart artificial hearts coming to the market, there will be new options available for more than 600,000 patients with critical heart disease in China.

Artificial heart production work is carried out by technicians at a workshop belonging to Evaheart Co. [Photo/cqnews.net]

A model of the artificial heart on display at the first Smart China Expo, launched in Chongqing on Aug 23. [Photo/cqnews.net]