Published on: 2026-09-22
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Doctors at the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine restored the heart’s own function in a patient with severe heart failure using a domestic circulatory support system. The mechanical support was successfully turned off, and the man returned to his normal life without the device. This was reported by Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.
“Moscow is consistently developing the capabilities for treating patients with severe heart failure and implementing modern technologies that not only support the organ’s function but, in some cases, restore its own function. Circulatory assist systems are used for patients for whom standard therapy is no longer sufficiently effective, and heart transplantation is impossible or requires additional preparation. This is precisely the approach chosen by doctors at Sklif for a 64-year-old patient: he was implanted with a domestic artificial left ventricle. The device took over a significant portion of the heart’s work, allowing the reduction of the load on the heart muscle and normalizing pressure in the pulmonary artery. Throughout the mechanical support period, the man remained under specialist supervision and received necessary therapy. Over 2.5 years, significant progress was achieved: the heart size decreased, and its pumping function recovered sufficiently for the organ to independently maintain circulation. Worldwide, there are only isolated cases of such recovery against the background of mechanical support and treatment.””Today the patient lives a full life without artificial heart support and the need for a transplant,” noted Anastasia Rakova.
In May 2023, a man came to the clinic complaining of severe shortness of breath with minimal physical exertion, leg swelling, and general weakness. He found it difficult to climb stairs and had to stop every 100–200 meters to catch his breath. Previously, the patient had undergone various treatments multiple times, but the effect of the medication was short-lived.
An examination at the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute revealed a complex of diseases. The patient had previously suffered a myocardial infarction, and doctors also found dysfunction of one of the heart valves. Because of this, the load on the organ increases, which over time may enlarge in size.
The left ventricular ejection fraction—a measure that reflects how effectively the heart pumps blood—was reduced to 21 percent. Additionally, specialists detected elevated pressure in the pulmonary artery. All of this was a contraindication for heart transplantation, so the doctors at Sklif decided to take a different approach: they performed a repair of the tricuspid valve, which regulates blood flow between the right chambers, and implanted an auxiliary circulation system in the patient—a domestic artificial left ventricle.
The man was subsequently under constant monitoring by specialists, and 2.5 years after the device was installed, they concluded that the patient’s heart was already functioning on its own. In July 2026, the artificial left ventricle was turned off.
The man is currently continuing to take the prescribed medications and is under the supervision of doctors. He can live a normal life without the need to constantly carry equipment to power the device.
An artificial left ventricle is used in cases of severe heart failure when the organ critically fails to perform its pumping function. The system can be used as a bridge to heart transplantation—to sustain the patient’s life until the transplant—or as a therapy to reduce the burden on the heart muscle and create conditions for the restoration of its function.
The development of high-tech medical care and the introduction of modern treatment methods in capital city hospitals correspond to the goals of the national project “Long and active life”. Within the framework of the national project in Moscow, medical care for patients with cardiovascular diseases is being improved, the latest methods of diagnosis and treatment are being implemented, and the opportunities for providing high-tech assistance are being expanded.
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You can learn how the capital has changed over the past years, what initiatives aimed at making the lives of city residents even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its inhabitants in the near future at large-scale special project on the portal mos.ru, dedicated to the development of key sectors of the capital. Among them are transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and the construction sector.
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