Apatientonthebrinkofdeathhasreceivedtheworld'sfirstself-containedartificialheart-abattery-powereddeviceaboutthesizeofasoftballthatrunswithouttheneedforwires，tubesstickingoutofthechest．Itispoweredbyasmallbat
A patient on the brink of death has received the world's first self-contained artificial heart-a battery-powered device about the size of a softball that runs without the need for wires，tubes sticking out of the chest．It is powered by a small battery pack worn outside the body that transmits current through the skin．
Two surgeons from the University of Louisville implanted（植入）the titanium（钛）and plastic pump during a seven-hour operation at Jewish Hospital Monday．The hospital said the patient was"awake and responsive''Tuesday and resting comfortably．It refused to eve personal details．
The patient had been expected to die within a month without the operation，and doctors said they expected the artificial heart to extend the person's life by only a month．But the device is considered a major step toward improving the patient's quality of life．
The new pump，called AbioCor，is also a technological leap from the mechanical hearts used in the l980s，which were attached by wires and tubes to large machinery outside the body．The most famous of those，the Jarvic-7，used air as a pumping device and was attached to an apparatus（器械）about the size of a washing machine．
"I think it's potentially a major step forward in the artificial heart development，''said Dr．David Faxon，president of the American heart Association．However，he said the dream of an implantable，permanent artificial heart is not yet a reality："This is obviously an experimental device whose long-term success has to be demonstrated．"Only about half of the 4，200Americans on a waiting list for donor hearts received themlast year，and most of the rest died．
Some doctors，including Robert Higgins，chairman of cardiology（心脏病学）at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond，said artificial hearts are unlikely to replace donor hearts．"A donor heart in a good transplant can last l5to 30years．''he said．"It's going be hard toreplace that with a machine．''