World’s First: Patient Lives 100 Days with Artificial Heart
In Australia, a patient undergoing heart failure treatment made medical history by surviving 100 days with a completely artificial heart transplant. Following the successful operation in Sydney, the patient recovered their health through a real heart transplant from a donor.
An Australian patient achieved a medical milestone by living 100 days with an artificial heart.
Developed by Queensland-born Dr. Daniel Timms, the BiVACOR is the world’s first implantable rotary blood pump. Operating with magnetic levitation technology, this device mimics the natural blood flow of a healthy human heart and is developed as a “bridge therapy” for advanced stage heart failure patients. According to The Guardian, while more than 23 million people worldwide struggle with heart failure annually, only 6,000 individuals can find a suitable donor heart. BiVACOR stands out as a potential alternative to organ donation. The Australian government has initiated a $50 million support program to develop and commercialize this technology. 100-DAY RECORD A patient in their 40s living in the state of New South Wales in Australia, whose identity has not been revealed, underwent a six-hour operation in November 2024 at St Vincent Hospital in Sydney to receive the BiVACOR artificial heart transplant. Previous trials in the US showed that patients treated with this technology typically received a donor heart within 27 days. However, the Australian patient set a significant record by surviving 100 days entirely with an artificial heart. Discharged in February, the patient underwent a successful transplant operation with a suitable donor heart in March. TURNING POINT IN MEDICINE Surgeon Prof. Paul Jansz, who performed the operation, described this medical achievement as the realization of a dream they had worked on for years. Prof. Chris Hayward emphasized that BiVACOR would create an international revolution in the treatment of heart failure. Can artificial hearts reduce dependence on organ donation in the future and save millions of lives? Only time will reveal the answer.
