SynCardia reveals Emperor TAH architecture at IEEE EMBC 2026
Picard Medical subsidiary SynCardia Systems has made the first public presentation of the integrated architecture underpinning its Emperor Total Artificial Heart (Emperor TAH), unveiling the design at the 48th Annual IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society conference in Toronto on 26–30 July 2026.
The presentation was delivered by Taha Hasekioglu, Director of the Office of the COO and Emperor Programme Lead, in poster format. It offered the engineering community its first detailed look at how the company's patent-pending Emperor Drive System (EDS) integrates with the established SynCardia Total Artificial Heart ventricles to form the Emperor TAH platform.
The architecture
The central engineering proposition of the Emperor TAH is the replacement of the pneumatic drivers currently used with the SynCardia system with a compact electromechanical alternative. The SynCardia Total Artificial Heart ventricles, diaphragm assemblies, chamber geometry, and mechanical valve interfaces are carried forward unchanged; more than 2,100 patients across 27 countries have been treated with that proven blood-contacting hardware. The EDS is designed as a smaller, self-contained driver intended to support a future pathway toward full implantability.
Preclinical data summarised in the conference poster included results from Donovan mock circulation testing showing physiologic preload-dependent output, stable performance across clinically relevant afterload ranges, and acute porcine implantation data demonstrating anatomic compatibility and short-duration haemodynamic stability under electromechanical actuation. The company described these as preliminary evaluations; no regulatory submission timeline was announced.
"The Emperor programme is built on the foundation of the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart, and our approach has been to preserve the proven, blood-contacting components while advancing the drive technology that powers the system," Hasekioglu said.
Market context
The SynCardia Total Artificial Heart holds a distinctive regulatory position as the only FDA-approved, commercially available total artificial heart in the United States and Canada, giving Picard Medical a degree of incumbent advantage that few device developers in the end-stage heart failure space can claim. The broader competitive landscape for mechanical circulatory support is dominated by left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), where Abbott's HeartMate 3 and Medtronic's HVAD successor programmes hold strong clinical adoption. Total artificial hearts, by contrast, address biventricular failure where LVADs are not indicated, representing a smaller but underserved patient population.
The strategic logic of the Emperor programme is to extend SynCardia's regulatory and clinical moat by transitioning from a tethered pneumatic system, which constrains patient mobility, toward an implantable electromechanical platform. This shift mirrors a broader trajectory in cardiac assist technology, where miniaturisation and wireless power transfer have progressively reduced device footprint and improved quality of life metrics. The degree to which the EDS can meet the durability and biocompatibility thresholds required for long-term implantation will be the key technical question for regulators and clinicians alike as the programme advances beyond preclinical evaluation.