The French company Carmat announced the first human artificial heart implant in the United States on Thursday as part of a clinical study.
According to the company’s website, a total of artificial hearts, called ESON, are already available in Europe.
“The decision to develop our first market for this first clinical study treatment device based in the United States will be acceptable,” Stephen Pite, director general of Carmat, said in a statement.
The procedure took place at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, Carmat said.
Three more study centers have been set up in the United States and selection of test candidates is underway. Ten eligible patients must be recruited for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved study.
The Karmat device is intended for people with end-stage heart failure, which can usually be treated with a heart transplant.
