- An Australian man became the first person in the world to be discharged from the hospital with a completely artificial heart.
- The groundbreaking BiVacor Total Artificial Heart is designed to replace a failing heart in patients with severe heart failure.
- This innovation could eventually eliminate the need for heart transplants, allowing patients to live with artificial hearts indefinitely.
How Does This Artificial Heart Work?
The patient, a man in his 40s, suffered from severe heart failure and underwent surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney last November. Doctors implanted the BiVacor Total Artificial Heart, a revolutionary device that fully replaces the human heart. Unlike previous heart-assist devices, which support a failing heart, this artificial heart completely takes over the heart’s function.
Made from titanium, the BiVacor heart is both durable and biocompatible. It uses a magnetically levitating rotor to pump blood efficiently to the lungs and the rest of the body. The device has two separate pump chambers with a unique impeller system, ensuring proper circulation. Additionally, it is powered by an external portable controller, which exits through the stomach, allowing the patient to move around freely.
A Medical Breakthrough in Heart Treatment
The patient now holds the record for the longest time a BiVacor recipient has gone from implantation to a potential heart transplant. However, the ultimate goal of this technology is to allow patients to live indefinitely without needing a transplant.
The BiVacor artificial heart was first implanted in a human in July 2024 as part of a clinical trial aimed at assessing its safety and performance. The trial focuses on patients with severe biventricular heart failure, where both sides of the heart are failing.
A Future Without Heart Transplants?
Heart disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide, and donor heart shortages continue to be a major challenge. The success of fully artificial hearts like BiVacor’s could change the future of heart failure treatment. Instead of relying on limited organ transplants, patients could receive a permanent, mechanical replacement.
As technology advances, could we be moving toward a future where artificial hearts become the norm?
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