Electric Heart
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Robert Jarvik
Peter Thomas
Denton Cooley
Paula S Apsell
Michael Bacon
Franziska Blome
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Documentary that tells the story of a group of doctors' search for a practical artificial heart. The program dramatizes their rivalries and frequent battles against the skepticism of the medical establishment. Among the many characters is Dr. Michael DeBakey, who at age 90 is still at the forefront of experimentation. The first-ever total artificial heart implant in 1969 was a device developed by DeBakey but used without his permission. The incident caused a rift between DeBakey and heart surgeon Denton Cooley, who performed the operation and tells his side of the story in the documentary. Meanwhile, DeBakey's longtime rival, Robert Jarvik, is about to implant his new device, the jarvik 2000, for the first time. The operation and its outcome are recorded by Nova's cameras.
