Dr. Robert Jarvik, a significant figure in medical history and the architect of the first permanent artificial heart implanted in a human, passed away on Monday at his home in Manhattan at the age of 79.
According to The New York Times, Jarvik’s wife, Marilyn vos Savant, revealed that he succumbed to complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Born on May 11, 1946, in Midland, Michigan, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Jarvik was influenced by his father, Norman Jarvik, a physician who managed a family practice.
His early interest in tinkering with mechanical devices laid a foundation for his future in medicine. Initially intending to study architecture, Jarvik shifted his focus to medicine after witnessing his father’s survival of an aortic aneurysm. Tragically, Norman Jarvik later passed away from a second aortic aneurysm.
Dr. Jarvik pursued higher education at Syracuse University, later studying at the University of Bologna in Italy. He eventually completed his medical degree at the University of Utah in 1976. Rather than following the typical paths of internships and residencies, he dedicated his efforts to developing an artificial heart.
In 1982, Jarvik became part of a pioneering team led by Dr. Willem Kolff, who directed the Division of Artificial Organs at the University of Utah. This collaboration birthed multiple mechanical hearts, one of which, implanted in a cow named Alfred Lord Tennyson, survived for an impressive 268 days.
The same year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the implantation of a permanent artificial heart in a human. This milestone was realized on December 2, 1982, when Dr. William C. DeVries and his surgical team implanted the Jarvik-7 model in Barney Clark, a 61-year-old retired dentist.
The heart was named the Jarvik-7 to honor the student who significantly contributed to its design under Kolff’s guidance. The surgery lasted seven hours, and even after the procedure, Clark communicated his love to his wife with the heartfelt statement, “I want to tell you even though I have no heart, I still love you,” as recorded by the University of Utah.
Barney Clark lived for 112 days post-surgery while connected to a cumbersome 400-pound air compressor, which assisted the Jarvik-7 in pumping blood throughout his body. During this time, he faced numerous health complications including seizures, kidney failure, and a malfunctioning valve within the artificial heart.
On March 23, 1983, he tragically passed away due to bacterial infection complications in his colon. Subsequent patients, however, showed varying degrees of survival, with the second and third patients living for 620 and 488 days, respectively. While these cases demonstrated that survival could be prolonged with a mechanical device, they also raised questions about the quality of life for recipients, straining initial enthusiasm for the advancement.
The media frenzy surrounding these surgical procedures attracted reporters from all over, illustrating the deep fascination and controversy ignited by the invention of the artificial heart.
By the mid-1980s, ethical discussions among medical ethicists and theologians emerged, questioning whether such devices genuinely improved life or merely prolonged suffering.
The Jarvik-7 was utilized as a permanent solution for five patients and served temporarily for numerous others awaiting donor hearts. However, the FDA revoked its approval in 1990 following concerns over complications and quality of life issues.
Dr. Robert Jarvik’s contributions to medicine continued well beyond the groundbreaking developments of the Jarvik-7. In 2018, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by United Business Media, recognizing his extensive influence in the medical field.
After heading Symbion, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Jarvik established Jarvik Heart, Inc. in 1987 in New York. This company focused on creating smaller and less intrusive ventricular assist devices designed to aid blood circulation from the heart’s lower chambers to the rest of the body.
In a career that bridged engineering and medicine, Dr. Robert Jarvik leaves behind a legacy that transformed cardiac care and ignited vital dialogues about the ethical implications of artificial life-supporting technologies.
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