SynCardia was founded in 2001 by cardiothoracic surgeon
Jack G. Copeland, MD; biomedical engineer Richard G. Smith, MSEE, CCE; and interventional cardiologist Marvin J. Slepian, MD; with Steven Langford BSEE, as General Manager. Today, SynCardia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Picard Medical and remains the sole manufacturer and provider of the world’s only commercially approved Total Artificial Heart. In clinical use for more than 35 years, the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t) is the most widely used and extensively studied Total Artificial Heart in the world. In 2004, the
FDA approved the SynCardia TAH (formerly known as the "CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart”) as a bridge to donor
heart transplant SynCardia's products include the original 70cc TAH; the newer, smaller 50cc TAH, designed to fit patients of smaller stature, including more women and adolescents; the Companion 2 (C2) Hospital Driver, which provides pneumatic power to the TAH from implant through patient recovery in the hospital; and the Freedom Portable Driver, a smaller, portable pneumatic pump for the TAH that allows stable patients who meet discharge criteria to enjoy life at home while they wait for a matching donor heart. A documentary about the SynCardia TAH was released in 2016. Patrick Schnegelsberg was named CEO of SynCardia. ==See also==