The artificial heart became a media sensation in the 1980s as it both raised hopes and spread controversy. Today its impact on medical science is still playing out in surprising ways.

Get our weekly newsletter

A Change of Heart

When a dentist named Barney Clark received a permanent artificial heart in 1982, it was hailed as a medical miracle. To the public and the press, he represented hope and a huge leap forward in fighting the world’s biggest killer: heart disease. But hope turned to controversy as Clark and other patients suffered a series debilitating complications and critics called the medical experiment cruel and unethical. Eventually the FDA said no more permanent heart implants and the device faded from public view. But it was hardly the end of the story, for the artificial heart continues to impact medical science in surprising ways.

Transcript

More on the Story

From Horror to Hope: How the Artificial Heart Became a Lifesaving DeviceThe Takeaway
Related Coverage
Artificial Hearts Ticking Along Decades After Jarvik-7 DebateThe New York Times
How The Artificial Heart Went From Miracle To Medical Pariah And Back AgainGizmodo
NY Times video on artificial heart made in TucsonThe Arizona Daily Star
Is the hope for a lifelong-lasting artificial heart a lost cause after previous failed attempts?Med City News
The Story of the Artificial Heart Gives New Meaning to Being on The Bleeding Edge of TechnologyLinkedIn