An Australian man in his 40s from New South Wales has become a medical pioneer by being the first individual to leave a hospital with a total artificial heart implant. He lived with the device for over 100 days before successfully receiving a donor heart transplant, marking a major milestone in heart failure treatment.
This patient is only the sixth person worldwide to receive such an implant, which was used as a temporary solution for his advanced heart failure. Previously, five patients in the United States underwent the same procedure, but all received donor hearts before hospital discharge. The longest recorded duration between implantation and transplant was 27 days.
The Australian man underwent surgery on November 22 at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, where a six-hour operation was performed by cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon Dr. Paul Jansz. The doctors indicated on Wednesday that the operation had been a success. The patient survived for over 100 days with the artificial heart before she was given an early transplant in March.
Queensland bioengineer Daniel Timms developed the BiVACOR total artificial heart. It is the first entirely implantable rotary blood pump that is an entire heart replacement. It differs from conventional artificial hearts in that it employs magnetic levitation technology to replicate natural blood flow with minimal mechanical trauma.
Timms had worked for years to perfect this important device after his father died from heart disease. He described how happy he was that it worked and recognized the patient and his family for their courage in accepting this new technology.
Heart failure is a widespread medical condition that strikes more than 23 million individuals worldwide annually, but just 6,000 individuals receive a donor heart annually. The BiVACOR artificial heart keeps patients alive until a matching donor organ can be located. But researchers expect the device to eventually be used as a long-term substitute for heart transplants.
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Professor Chris Hayward welcomed this shift as a significant step forward in the treatment of heart failure. He predicted that within the next decade, artificial hearts would become a viable option for patients who cannot wait for or receive a donor heart.
The Australian government has invested AU$50 million into the Artificial Heart Frontiers Program, which is leading trials on multiple artificial heart technologies, including BiVACOR. The device has also been tested in the United States under the FDA’s Early Feasibility Study, where previous patients survived up to 27 days before receiving transplants. The Australian case stands out as the most successful thus far.
The patient, who has chosen to remain anonymous, suffered from severe heart failure and volunteered to be the first Australian to receive the total artificial heart. After recovering from the surgery in November, he was discharged in February and later underwent a successful donor heart transplant in March.
Dr. Jansz, who led the surgical team, described the procedure as a landmark moment in Australian medical history. He praised his colleagues for their dedication and perseverance in achieving this milestone.
Professor David Colquhoun of the University of Queensland and the Heart Foundation board noted the significance of this achievement but emphasized that while the artificial heart had functioned effectively for over 100 days, donor hearts typically last for more than a decade. He stressed that further advancements are necessary before artificial hearts can fully replace transplants.
References:
1. "Australian Man Survives 100 Days with Artificial Heart in World-First Success." The Guardian. March 12, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/12/australian-man-survives-100-days-with-artificial-heart-in-world-first-success.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Sai Sindhuja K/MSM)