Australian Man Lives 100 Days With Artificial Heart in Medical Breakthrough
The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart, a titanium device using magnetic levitation, sustained a patient until a successful transplant, marking a pivotal step in heart failure treatment.
- A man in his 40s from New South Wales became the first person to leave a hospital with a total artificial heart, living over 100 days with the device before receiving a donor heart transplant in early March.
- The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart is a titanium rotary blood pump with a single magnetically levitated rotor, designed to fully replace a failing human heart and reduce wear over time.
- The device, invented by Australian bioengineer Dr. Daniel Timms, is currently in clinical trials and aims to serve as a bridge for patients awaiting transplants, with aspirations for long-term use without donor hearts.
- The procedure was performed at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney as part of the Artificial Heart Frontiers Program, supported by a $50 million Australian federal grant to advance heart failure treatments.
- Heart failure affects over 23 million people globally each year, with donor hearts in limited supply; this innovation could transform treatment and reduce reliance on transplants in the future.
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