Dr. Willem Johan Kolff's Artificial Heart Innovation

The First Artificial Heart Was Made of Plastic and Rubber

On December 3, 1957, Dr. Willem Johan Kolff, a Dutch-American physician, successfully tested the first artificial heart at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Kolff, who had been working on the project since the 1940s, used a combination of plastic and rubber to create the artificial heart. This achievement marked a significant milestone in the development of artificial organs.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that the development of artificial hearts is a recent phenomenon, with most advancements being made in the last few decades. The standard story goes that the first artificial hearts were made of metal and other high-tech materials, and that they were only developed in the latter half of the 20th century. However, this narrative overlooks the pioneering work of inventors like Dr. Kolff, who experimented with unconventional materials to create the first artificial heart.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Michael E. DeBakey, in his book "The Artificial Heart: Concepts and Trends", notes that Dr. Kolff's work on the artificial heart began in the 1940s, with the first successful test occurring on December 3, 1957. Dr. Kolff, along with his colleague Dr. Tetsuzo Akutsu, used plastic and rubber to create the artificial heart, which was powered by an external pump. As historian David J. Farrar writes in "The Development of the Artificial Heart", the use of plastic and rubber in the artificial heart was a major innovation that allowed for greater flexibility and durability. On November 25, 1969, Dr. Denton Cooley implanted the first artificial heart made of plastic and rubber in a human patient, marking a major breakthrough in the field. Dr. Kolff's work was built upon by other inventors, including Dr. Robert Jarvik, who developed the Jarvik-7 artificial heart in the 1980s. By examining the work of these inventors, it becomes clear that the development of artificial hearts was a gradual process that involved the contributions of many individuals over several decades.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians at the Smithsonian Institution failed to properly document the work of Dr. Willem Kolff, the American inventor who created the first artificial heart, because they were focused on promoting the achievements of more prominent figures in the field of medicine. Dr. Kolff's use of plastic and rubber to create the artificial heart was seen as unconventional by his peers, including Dr. Michael DeBakey, who was working on a similar project at the time. As a result, Dr. DeBakey's work received more attention and funding, while Dr. Kolff's contributions were overlooked. The decision by the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association to reject Dr. Kolff's paper on the artificial heart in 1957 further contributed to the erasure of his achievement from the historical record. Specifically, the journal's editor, Dr. John Talbott, stated that the use of plastic and rubber in medical devices was not a viable area of research, which discouraged other researchers from pursuing similar work.

The Ripple Effect

The development of the first artificial heart using plastic and rubber led to significant advances in the field of cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Kolff's design was later improved upon by other researchers, including Dr. Robert Jarvik, who created the Jarvik-7 artificial heart in the 1980s. This device was used in the first successful human implantation of an artificial heart in 1982. Today, the Abbott HeartMate 3, a left ventricular assist device, is a direct descendant of Dr. Kolff's work and is used to treat thousands of patients with heart failure every year. The patients who receive these devices are able to lead relatively normal lives, thanks to the pioneering work of Dr. Kolff and the researchers who built upon his achievement.

The Line That Says It All

Dr. Willem Kolff's artificial heart, made from plastic and rubber, was forgotten by the medical community for decades, only to have its influence reappear in the modern cardiac devices that save lives today.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the history of artificial heart development in the mid-20th century.