Australian Man Achieves Milestone with Durable Artificial Heart for Over 100 Days

Key Takeaways

First durable artificial heart implant in Australia.
Patient lived with the implant for 105 days.
Implant considered a clinical success.
Artificial heart serves as a bridge to transplant.
Potential to transform heart failure treatment.

New Delhi, March 12 (NationPress) In a groundbreaking achievement, an Australian man has made history by being the first person globally to live with a durable total artificial heart implant crafted from titanium for more than 100 days, ultimately being discharged from the hospital.

The implant, a BiVACOR total artificial heart, is the first of its kind in Australia and the sixth worldwide. It has been hailed as “an unmitigated clinical success” according to a statement released on Wednesday by St Vincent’s Hospital, Monash University, and BiVACOR, the US-Australian company behind the device.

The unidentified patient, in his 40s, was suffering from severe heart failure and underwent a six-hour surgical procedure to implant the artificial heart on November 22, 2024, at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.

He lived with the device for an impressive 105 days before receiving a donor heart transplant in early March.

According to the statement, “At 105 days, it is the longest period in the world for a BiVACOR total artificial heart patient between receiving their implant and subsequently obtaining their donor heart transplant.”

The inaugural BiVACOR total artificial heart implant occurred in July 2024 at the Texas Heart Institute in the US.

Since that time, four additional implants have been performed in the US, with the longest duration between implant and transplant being just 27 days.

BiVACOR’s artificial heart implant represents the world’s first implantable rotary blood pump. Utilizing magnetic levitation technology, it serves as a comprehensive replacement for a human heart.

This device is engineered to act as a bridge, sustaining patients until a donor heart becomes available.

The system includes a Mini-Pump that is implanted within the hearts of patients who currently lack other treatment options for managing their heart failure symptoms, as well as a novel type of Left Ventricle Assist Device (LVAD) that is placed alongside a natural heart to aid in pumping.

With over 23 million people globally suffering from heart failure and only about 6,000 receiving a donor heart, this artificial heart holds the potential to “transform heart failure treatment,” stated Professor Chris Hayward, a cardiologist at St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney.

“We anticipate that within the next decade, the artificial heart will become a viable alternative for patients who cannot wait for a donor heart or when a donor heart is simply unavailable,” Hayward concluded.