India developing affordable LVADs for heart transplant patients

India is working on developing left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). These devices help patients with severe heart failure pump blood as they wait for a donor heart. Currently, around 50,000 people in India need heart transplants each year. However, only about 200 transplants are performed due to a lack of available donor hearts. The average wait time for a heart transplant in India is around 36 months. Imported LVADs can be very expensive, costing between ₹70 lakh and ₹1 crore. This makes treatment costly for patients. By creating LVADs locally, the Indian government aims to lower prices and reduce reliance on imports. Discussions are underway for funding the project, which may require about Rs 100 crore. This funding might come from the department of science and technology or the newly established Anusandhan National Research Foundation. A recent Niti Aayog document suggests forming a committee to oversee the project's progress and ensure timely completion. Developing the LVADs could take more than five years, following the necessary approvals. Various Indian Institutes of Technology and other medical research institutions are already working on low-cost LVADs and a total artificial heart, promising hope for those with heart failure.