SynCardia Systems, LLC, a Picard Medical company (PMI), has reached a landmark in artificial organ technology with the first successful in vivo implantations of its fully implantable Emperor Total Artificial Heart (TAH).
The milestone underscores SynCardia's leadership in total artificial heart innovation and sets the stage for a new era in advanced heart replacement therapy.
The Emperor TAH was tested in three pre-clinical models, each showing stable blood circulation, efficient energy use, and performance that closely mimicked the natural human heart. The device responded to changes in blood volume with physiological preload sensitivity and afterload independence- behaviours that replicate the Frank-Starling response, the body's natural way for adjusting pump strength based on blood volume.
This new platform builds on SynCardia's proven trak record with the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart (STAH), which remains the first and only FDA- and Health Canada-approved total artificial heart.
The STAH received FDA approval in October 2004. It has already been implanted in more than 2,100 patients across 27 countries, making it the most widely used and extensively studied artificial heart worldwide.
Picard Medical emphasized that the Emperor TAH is designed to expand patient options by delivering a fully implantable system with improved performance, energy efficiency, and patient usability.
The company believes the innovation could one day serve as a true alternative to heart transplantation, giving patients greater independence and quality of life.
SynCardia plans to continue pre-clinical studies to refine system parameters before advancing toward clinical trials. Management highlighted that the Emperor program represents "the zenith in the world of artificial organs", reflecting the company's vision to move beyond external drivers towards a fully integrated solution.
PMI has traded in the range of $2.23 to $13.68 over the past year. The stock is currently trading in the pre-market at $2.51, up 6.44%.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.