2 weeks Ago
An Australian man has become the first person in the world to be discharged from hospital with a total artificial heart implant, according to a recent report by The Guardian. The patient, a man in his 40s from New South Wales, volunteered to become the first recipient of the total artificial heart in Australia and the sixth in the world. His condition had deteriorated to the point where a traditional heart transplant was not immediately available, making him a candidate for the pioneering procedure.
According to the report, unlike the previous five patients who received the implant in the United States last year—all of whom underwent a heart transplant before being discharged—the Australian patient was able to leave the hospital with the artificial heart still in place. The six-hour surgical procedure took place on 22 November at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, led by cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon Paul Jansz. The patient spent several weeks under medical observation before being discharged in February.
A donor heart became available the following month, allowing him to undergo a successful transplant. The BiVACOR total artificial heart, developed by Queensland-born Dr Daniel Timms, sustained the patient for over 100 days before he successfully underwent a donor heart transplant in early March. The device, which is still in the early stages of clinical study, is designed for patients suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, a condition that occurs when both sides of the heart are too damaged to effectively pump blood.
Using magnetic levitation technology, the BiVACOR heart replicates the natural blood flow of a healthy heart and has been developed as a bridge to transplant, keeping patients alive while they await a donor organ. However, researchers hope that in the future, patients may be able to live indefinitely with the artificial heart, eliminating the need for a transplant altogether, as per the report. While the development represents a major technological advancement, experts caution that artificial hearts are not yet a full replacement for human transplants.
Professor David Colquhoun from the University of Queensland noted that while the BiVACOR heart functioned for over 100 days, a donor heart typically lasts more than 10 years. He stressed that artificial heart technology still has a long way to go before it can match the long-term effectiveness of traditional transplants. The Australian government has invested $50 million into the 'Artificial Heart Frontiers Program', a Monash University-led initiative aimed at advancing artificial heart technologies.
More procedures are planned in Australia, as researchers continue to refine the device with the goal of offering a long-term solution for patients suffering from severe heart failure. Heart failure affects more than 23 million people worldwide and only 6,000 donor hearts are available each year, according to the Australian government. An Australian man has become the first person in the world to be discharged from hospital with a total artificial heart implant, according to a recent report by The Guardian.
The patient, a man in his 40s from New South Wales, volunteered to become the first recipient of the total artificial heart in Australia and the sixth in the world. His condition had deteriorated to the point where a traditional heart transplant was not immediately available, making him a candidate for the pioneering procedure. According to the report, unlike the previous five patients who received the implant in the United States last year—all of whom underwent a heart transplant before being discharged—the Australian patient was able to leave the hospital with the artificial heart still in place.
The six-hour surgical procedure took place on 22 November at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, led by cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon Paul Jansz. The patient spent several weeks under medical observation before being discharged in February. A donor heart became available the following month, allowing him to undergo a successful transplant.
The BiVACOR total artificial heart, developed by Queensland-born Dr Daniel Timms, sustained the patient for over 100 days before he successfully underwent a donor heart transplant in early March. The device, which is still in the early stages of clinical study, is designed for patients suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, a condition that occurs when both sides of the heart are too damaged to effectively pump blood. Using magnetic levitation technology, the BiVACOR heart replicates the natural blood flow of a healthy heart and has been developed as a bridge to transplant, keeping patients alive while they await a donor organ.
However, researchers hope that in the future, patients may be able to live indefinitely with the artificial heart, eliminating the need for a transplant altogether, as per the report. While the development represents a major technological advancement, experts caution that artificial hearts are not yet a full replacement for human transplants. Professor David Colquhoun from the University of Queensland noted that while the BiVACOR heart functioned for over 100 days, a donor heart typically lasts more than 10 years.
He stressed that artificial heart technology still has a long way to go before it can match the long-term effectiveness of traditional transplants. The Australian government has invested $50 million into the 'Artificial Heart Frontiers Program', a Monash University-led initiative aimed at advancing artificial heart technologies. More procedures are planned in Australia, as researchers continue to refine the device with the goal of offering a long-term solution for patients suffering from severe heart failure.
Heart failure affects more than 23 million people worldwide and only 6,000 donor hearts are available each year, according to the Australian government..
