First-in-the-world: Australian man lives with titanium heart for 105 days
What's the story
An Australian man in his 40s has created history by becoming the first patient to be discharged from the hospital, fitted with a fully artificial heart.
The man, who was suffering from severe heart failure, lived for 105 days with a BiVacor Total Artificial Heart.
The titanium-made blood pump was implanted as a temporary measure while he awaited a donor heart for transplantation.
Procedure
Pioneering operation took 6 hours
The groundbreaking operation was performed on November 22 last year, at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.
The artificial heart was implanted in a six-hour surgery, the first of its kind in Australia.
By early February 2025, the patient had recovered enough to be discharged with the device still fitted and returned earlier this month for his long-awaited donor heart transplant.
Record
St Vincent's Hospital hails achievement
St Vincent's Hospital has praised the patient's achievement, noting that he holds the record for "the longest time a BiVacor patient has gone from implant to transplant."
This milestone is viewed as a major breakthrough in artificial heart technology.
The end goal of this innovation is for patients to live indefinitely with the device, without requiring a transplant.