The device is made of biocompatible titanium alloy and can pump blood at the rate of 3 to 5 litres per minute.
Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO have used material and technology used to build rockets to create a small device that pumps blood and is seen as a step towards making an artificial heart.
The Made-in-India left ventricle assist device weighs 100 gm and will help people who need heart transplants, replicating the function of a part of the heart that pumps blood.
It is being tested right now by a team of surgeons on animals and is expected to be ready for use on humans only after a few years of extensive testing. The device was recently tested on five pigs at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for a six-hour experiment which doctors said was successful.
The device is made of biocompatible titanium alloy and can pump blood at the rate of 3 to 5 litres per minute. Similar imported heart pumps cost crores of rupees, but the ISRO version is expected to cost only Rs 1.25 lakh.
"Material used in a rocket, the mechanism used in a rocket, electronics used in a rocket are combined to form the device... which is useful as a first step towards heart transplantation. This device was tested in a pig, and it was found that the pig was alive after fitting it. The other organs of the animal were intact. This shows that it is a very good alternative for an artificial heart," Dr K Sivan, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram told NDTV.
A team of about two dozen experts like metallurgists, electronic engineers, flow mechanics and conduction specialists have worked for over six years to build the pump and they describe it as work in progress.
"This is one of the examples of how work that is done for rocket technology or satellite technology can help human beings. This is an alternate system in case the human heart has difficulties in pumping blood. It provides a bypass pumping system that can definitely help human lives," said Dr Kiran Kumar, ISRO chairman.