A man in his 40s from New South Wales has made global medical history by living for over 100 days with a total artificial heart implant before successfully receiving a donor heart transplant.
The patient, who has chosen to remain anonymous, set a world record for the longest period anyone has lived with the device, the Australian-invented BiVACOR titanium artificial heart, which was used as a “bridge-to-transplant” for his severe heart failure.
In a procedure performed at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney in November, the man received the BiVACOR device. Crucially, he became the first person in the world to be discharged from a hospital with the titanium heart, leading a relatively normal life near the hospital before a donor heart became available in early March.
The BiVACOR device, developed by Australian biomedical engineer Dr. Daniel Timms, uses a magnetically levitated rotor as its only moving part to pump blood, making it a revolutionary step in mechanical heart technology.
Cardiologists involved in the case have hailed the outcome as an “unmitigated clinical success,” providing critical real-world data on how patients adapt to the technology outside a hospital setting. The patient is reportedly recovering well following his transplant, a success that provides immense hope for millions of people worldwide suffering from heart failure while awaiting a donor organ.
