The Smithsonian Institute Showcases Plastic Heart

In a gesture to celebrate American Heart Month and Valentine’s Day, The Smithsonian Institute has shown a picture of the first artificial heart. The heart was plastic and was implanted in a man almost 42 years ago. It beat for three days.

The heart was used to keep Haskell Karpyears alive while surgeons were waiting for a human heart to transplant into him. Karpyears was having heart failure and wouldn’t have survived with out the use of this plastic artificial heart.

Karpyears survived three days with the plastic heart but passed away two days after receiving his human heart transplant.

The picture of the heart shows just how far artificial hearts have come in the last 40 years. The plastic heart is now one of the 137 million things that can be found in the Smithsonian Institute, along with specimens, artifacts and works of art.

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