Deceptively real
- EN - DE
The human heart still poses great challenges to modern medicine. More than ten million people in Europe suffer from heart failure, and quite a few of them need a donor organ. Artificial heart pumps are used to bridge the waiting time, but complications are not uncommon. The "Zurich Heart" project, in which Empa is a partner, is developing solutions. For many patients with heart failure, an artificial heart pump is a lifesaver - but one that often causes side effects. There is a risk of blood clots or a rejection of the foreign material, which can lead to severe immune responses. Researchers at Zurich University Hospital, together with col-leagues from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, therefore launched the "Zurich Heart" project back in 2011.
