On Mar. 21, 2012, the University of Washington Medical Center became the first in Pacific Northwest to discharge Total Artificial Heart patient. The Total Artificial Heart is manufactured by SynCardia Systems, a Tucson, AZ-based privately-held manufacturer.

The company was formed in 2001 by world-renowned heart surgeon Jack G. Copeland, MD, interventional cardiologist Marvin J. Slepian, MD, and biomedical engineer Richard G. Smith, MSEE, CCE, to commercialize the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart.