But that spurred him on to help invent a blood pump. And now he is back in the city to attend the CT-CON-2008- Cardio-thoracic conference, to talk about the device that has gone into clinical trials in humans, and aims to improve the quality of life of a heart patient.

Khanwilkar, managing director of Rotary Systems and Business Development World Heart Inc in Utah, will speak on the ‘next generation left ventricular assist device’ on Saturday at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) to participate in the 54th annual conference of the Indian Association of the Cardiovascular and Thoracic surgeons.

“My father died of congestive heart failure — the condition I am trying to resolve with the blood pump I invented,” says Khanwilkar, an IITian who started at the Division of Artificial Organs at the University of Utah, has six US patents related to implanted blood pumps including artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices for adults and children.

The instrument, which is the only bearingless and fully magnetically levitated centrifugal rotary pump, was successfully implanted into a 67-year-old man with advanced congestive heart failure, as part of an operation that included heart valve repair as well as a coronary artery bypass graft in March 2006. “The patient is leading a normal life,” says Khanwilkar.

Another patient who was 78 years old, was also operated upon and the patient’s natural heart recovered with the device — Levacor Ventricular Assist Device — support. That was in May 2006, Khanwilkar said, adding that clinical trials would be undertaken on more patients.