Surgeons are hailing a titanium heart implant as a world first.
A patient in Australia has become the first person globally to leave the hospital with a nearly unbreakable titanium heart, a revolutionary device that surgeons and biomedical engineers regard as a complete game-changer.
The implant, roughly the size of a clenched fist, contains a magnetically levitating rotor that consistently pumped blood to the man’s lungs for 105 days, enabling him to carry on with his daily activities.
Transplant cardiologist Chris Hayward, head of the surgical team at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, said: ‘With his real heart, the man could only walk 10 to 15 meters without experiencing shortness of breath. Now, he’s up and about doing things he hasn’t been able to do for many years.’
On March 6, when a donor heart became available, surgeons successfully replaced the titanium device with a biological one. However, without the mechanical heart serving as a bridge, the patient would not have survived.
Hayward said: ‘The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart ushers in a whole new ball game for heart transplants, both in Australia and internationally. Within the next decade we will see the artificial heart becoming the alternative for patients who cannot wait for a donor heart or when a donor heart is unavailable.’
Lead surgeon Paul Jansz described the operation as a game-changer, mentioning that the moment gave him ‘goosebumps’.
The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart, developed over nearly 25 years, is the product of Australian biomedical engineer Daniel Timms, who was inspired by his father’s 2001 heart attack.
He said: ‘Being able to bring Australia along this journey and be part of the first clinical trials is immensely important to me and something that I set out to do from the beginning.’
Timms, the son of a plumber, began working on the concept by connecting pipes and valves in a hardware store to mimic the human circulatory system. The result? A 650-gram titanium heart with only one moving part – the levitating rotor – meaning no friction, no wear, no corrosion – and potentially years of uninterrupted performance.
The only external component requiring regular maintenance is the battery pack, which exits the body through the abdomen.
Unlike bulkier artificial hearts made with membranes and valves, the BiVACOR device is compact enough to fit inside a woman or even a 12-year-old child yet strong enough to support a full-grown adult during exercise.
The successful implant in Australia marks the sixth-ever human use of the BiVACOR heart and the first outside the US.
In an earlier trial, a 58-year-old patient in the US survived for eight days with the device until a transplant became available.
While the device is not yet commercially available, four more implants are scheduled in Australia this year under the Monash University Artificial Heart Frontiers Program.
Researchers hope these clinical trials will confirm what lab tests suggest: the titanium heart can continue functioning flawlessly for over four years—and potentially far longer.
Timms and his team at BiVACOR are optimistic. ‘The entire BiVACOR team is deeply grateful to the patient and his family for placing their trust in our Total Artificial Heart. Their bravery will pave the way for countless more patients to receive this lifesaving technology.’
