Unlike humans, who die of cardiac arrest when one of their four heart chambers fails, cockroaches easily survive in a similar situation because their hearts have 13 chambers, Sujoy Guha said.
He said the Indian researchers' 13-chamber design will make their total artificial heart (TAH) more resilient than the models currently in use. The device will be made of metal and plastic and cost about $2,000 - one-thirtieth of the price of standard TAHs.
It took the research team of the Indian Institute of Technology three years to complete the first prototype of their artificial heart. It was successfully tested on frogs, and tests on goats are scheduled to begin in May.
Tests on animals are scheduled to be completed in a year. If the tests are successful, the first Indian TAH could be implanted into a human patient in three years.
