BiVACOR
An Australian man survived 100 days with an artificial titanium heart—the longest anyone has lived with the device—while waiting for a donor transplant.
The patient, a man in his 40s who chose to remain anonymous, received the implant at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney last November.
First Patient to Leave Hospital with Artificial Heart Survives Until Transplant
In February, he made history as the first person worldwide to leave the hospital with the device, which sustained him until a donor heart became available earlier this month.
St Vincent’s Hospital, Monash University, and BiVACOR—the US-Australian company that developed the device—said Wednesday that the man, who had severe heart failure, was “recovering well.”
Doctors hail his prolonged survival with the device as a promising sign that artificial hearts could eventually provide a long-term solution for people with heart failure. However, the device is still in trials and has not received approval for widespread use.
St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney
Daniel Timms, Australian bioengineer and founder of BiVACOR, who created the device after losing his father to heart disease, described seeing it succeed as “exhilarating” and the result of decades of work.
“The BiVACOR team is profoundly thankful to the patient and his family for trusting our Total Artificial Heart,” he stated. “Their courage will help open the door for many more patients to benefit from this life-saving technology.”
Single Moving Part, Titanium Design
The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) uses a single moving component—a magnetically levitated rotor—and consists entirely of titanium, eliminating valves or mechanical bearings that could wear out.
It functions as a replacement for both ventricles, pumping blood to the body and lungs.
Cardiovascular diseases are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming approximately 18 million lives each year, according to the World Health Organization.
The long-term goal is to use the device to help more patients who are stuck on donor waiting lists. According to the US Health Department, around 3,500 people received heart transplants in 2024, while roughly 4,400 joined the waiting list that year.
Professor Chris Hayward of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute said the BiVACOR heart represents “a whole new ball game for heart transplants.”
A Lifeline for Patients Awaiting Donors
“Artificial hearts could become an option for patients unable to wait for a donor over the next decade,” Hayward said. He is overseeing the Australian patient’s recovery and played a key role in preparing the device for clinical trials.
The FDA’s Early Feasibility Study in the US has already tested the BiVACOR heart, successfully implanting it in five patients.
The first implant in July kept a 58-year-old alive for eight days; four more patients have since received the device in a trial that may expand to 15.
The Australian implant marks the first in Monash University’s $31 million Artificial Heart Frontiers Program, aiming to develop and commercialize three heart-failure devices.
Read the original article on: Cnn
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