Man lives 100 days with artificial titanium heart in world-first medical success

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Skye Jacobs

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Forward-looking: An Australian man has become the first person in the world to leave a hospital with a total artificial heart implant, marking a significant milestone in heart failure treatment. He lived with the device for over 100 days before receiving a donor heart transplant in early March – the longest recorded survival with this technology.

The patient, a man in his 40s from New South Wales, received the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) during a six-hour procedure at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney on November 22, 2024. The operation, led by cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon Paul Jansz, was part of the Monash University-led Artificial Heart Frontiers Program, which aims to develop three key devices to treat common forms of heart failure.

Invented by Australian bio-engineer Dr. Daniel Timms, the BiVACOR TAH uses magnetic levitation technology to replicate the natural blood flow of a healthy heart. Similar to the technology used in high-speed trains, it features a single moving part – a levitated rotor held in place by magnets – eliminating the need for valves or mechanical bearings, which are prone to wear and tear.

The BiVACOR TAH is made from titanium, chosen for its high biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and strength. Designed to replace both ventricles of a failing heart, it serves as a life-saving bridge for patients awaiting a donor transplant. The device pumps blood to both the body and lungs using a double-sided centrifugal impeller, which propels blood from separate pump chambers to the pulmonary and systemic circulations.

Globally, more than 23 million people suffer from heart failure each year, yet only about 6,000 receive a donor heart. To support the development and commercialization of the BiVACOR device, the Australian government has invested $50 million in the program. While still in clinical trials and awaiting regulatory approval, the device's ability to sustain patients for extended periods suggests it could become a long-term solution for those facing heart failure.

Prof Chris Hayward, Dr Paul Jansz and Dr Daniel Timms

The BiVACOR TAH has already been tested in the FDA's Early Feasibility Study in the United States, where five patients successfully received the implant. These patients were supported by the device while awaiting a donor transplant, with the longest support period lasting up to a month. The FDA has approved expanding the study to include more patients.

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Man lives 100 days with artificial titanium heart in world-first medical success

 
redgarl said:
OMG... I really didn't knew the numbers, only 6000 donors per year is shocking.
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There's only about a 4-8 hour window for any sourced donor organ to be successfully transplanted into a patient. It's a logistical nightmare. And that's before even considering compatibility, another non-negotiable. It's like winning the lottery.

The problems don't end there. After the transplant any recipient of a donor organ is going to be on immunosuppressants for the rest of their lives, since their bodies will see the donor organ as a foreign threat and will attack it. IMO, artificial hearts like this are far more sustainable and practical.
 
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opckieran said:
There's only about a 4-8 hour window for any sourced donor organ to be successfully transplanted into a patient. It's a logistical nightmare. And that's before even considering compatibility, another non-negotiable. It's like winning the lottery.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that is why Steve Jobs boarded his private plane in Cupertino CA and flew to Tennessee to get his liver when a matching liver became available. If there were more people that were fortunate enough to go where ever the organ was available there would be a higher transplant rate. But, as usual money matters and effects the treatment people get.
 
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opckieran said:
There's only about a 4-8 hour window for any sourced donor organ to be successfully transplanted into a patient. It's a logistical nightmare. And that's before even considering compatibility, another non-negotiable. It's like winning the lottery.

The problems don't end there. After the transplant any recipient of a donor organ is going to be on immunosuppressants for the rest of their lives, since their bodies will see the donor organ as a foreign threat and will attack it. IMO, artificial hearts like this are far more sustainable and practical.
Click to expand...

Correct - I used to know someone who had a liver transplant. Even tho it sounds so easy, your stuck with meds the rest of your life, you can't consume the things you used to before and there will always be a certain risk the donor transplant will be rejected by the body.

But above is only to keep one alive - its not like working as a real heart. You can't work out, you can't run. In the event of a fight or flight mode the thing would not even respond to the danger and so on. I'm pretty sure there's a dozen complications with a thing like that in your chest.
 
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Vanderlinde said:
Correct - I used to know someone who had a liver transplant. Even tho it sounds so easy, your stuck with meds the rest of your life, you can't consume the things you used to before and there will always be a certain risk the donor transplant will be rejected by the body.

But above is only to keep one alive - its not like working as a real heart. You can't work out, you can't run. In the event of a fight or flight mode the thing would not even respond to the danger and so on. I'm pretty sure there's a dozen complications with a thing like that in your chest.
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There is one thing that I wish was talked about more often: Stem Cells. Taking the patient's own cells (supposedly skin cells can be converted into stem cells) and then using those stem cells to create a heart would solve both the compatibility and logistics issues, in theory.

We're probably 2 decades away from that, unfortunately.
 
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Seed oils!
Prior to 1910 doctors never saw heart attacks. Then came Crisco. Not saying no heart disease existed but seed oils look to be the culprit.
 
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kaosken said:
Seed oils!
Prior to 1910 doctors never saw heart attacks. Then came Crisco. Not saying no heart disease existed but seed oils look to be the culprit.
Click to expand...

To be fair there were a lot of toxic substances that have come out since 1910. And our understanding of heart conditions in 1910 was very limited. ECGs were extremely rare back then.
 
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kaosken said:
Seed oils!
Prior to 1910 doctors never saw heart attacks. Then came Crisco. Not saying no heart disease existed but seed oils look to be the culprit.
Click to expand...

People even before WW2 never had a long life expectancy compared to now. Sure things add up like pollution, micro plastics, oils indeed, processed food and such, but compared to more then 100 years ago; we live longer today. It's estimated we can live up to a 122 years of age with todays stuff. Back in the days you'd be happy if you made it in your 40's.
 
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kaosken said:
Seed oils!
Prior to 1910 doctors never saw heart attacks. Then came Crisco. Not saying no heart disease existed but seed oils look to be the culprit.
Click to expand...

Mass vaccinations were also introduced during WW1. It's far more likely they're the culprit. Seed oils go through your digestive system and are eliminated. Vaccinations are introduced directly into your bloodstream, where they can scar your arterial lining.
 
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My comment does not intend to undermine BiVACOR's success nor the innovation of its inventors, but the headline and article content is misleading. This is NOT world's first total artificial heart nor the world's first patient to leave a hospital with one. The AbioCor total artificial heart deserves those accolades (in use about 20 years ago and in development in the decades prior).

Still, it's impressive to see all medical innovation in this field and for this underserved patient population, and BiVACOR's praise is also deserved.
 
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This type of news has become very frequent since 2021, heart problems, strokes, turbo cancers... what could be the cause ?
 
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Tantor said:
Mass vaccinations were also introduced during WW1. It's far more likely they're the culprit. Seed oils go through your digestive system and are eliminated. Vaccinations are introduced directly into your bloodstream, where they can scar your arterial lining.
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You are right, but seed oils can also accumulate over time, if you are eating something with seed oils every day, your body doesn't have enough time to rid itself before more comes into the system.

It's like all the big industries are trying to suppress us to make $$$
 
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kaosken said:
Seed oils!
Prior to 1910 doctors never saw heart attacks. Then came Crisco. Not saying no heart disease existed but seed oils look to be the culprit.
Click to expand...
In 1910 they never saw autism either! Surely it's because of the vaccines, Just like Jenny McCarthy said!

OR, we can use our brains, and reconcile that a lack of observation does not prove a lack of existence. The first observed case of heart attack caused by blocked arteries was from 1550 B.C. Last I checked they didnt have Crisco in Egypt.....
scavengerspc said:
www.mayoclinic.org

Heart failure - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org www.mayoclinic.org

www.webmd.com

Stroke: Know What Puts You at Most Risk

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability in adults. WebMD explains risk factors and preventive measures you can take to lower your odds of having a stroke.
www.webmd.com www.webmd.com

Evidence needed before crying wolf Pete.
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Devil's advocate, linking a list of symptoms and causes does not disprove his point of rates seeing a significant increase.
yannus said:
This type of news has become very frequent since 2021, heart problems, strokes, turbo cancers... what could be the cause ?
Click to expand...
I'll take "what is linked to obesity, which we've been warned about for decades and has reached epidemic levels" for 500, alex.
 
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Theinsanegamer said:
Devil's advocate, linking a list of symptoms and causes does not disprove his point of rates seeing a significant increase.

I'll take "what is linked to obesity, which we've been warned about for decades and has reached epidemic levels" for 500, alex.
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Completely agree. And your last line made a good point I had never thought of. All things he listed are linked to common, well known conditions that people are bringing on themselves and in fact are more and more common. Obesity, as you mentioned, and high fat, high sodium foods. And we in America have the highest intake of sugar on the planet, and keeps rising.

So really, I'm just hoping the desire for real proof works both ways.
 
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DrSuess said:
Yeah, that is why Steve Jobs boarded his private plane in Cupertino CA and flew to Tennessee to get his liver when a matching liver became available. If there were more people that were fortunate enough to go where ever the organ was available there would be a higher transplant rate. But, as usual money matters and effects the treatment people get.
Click to expand...
Is a private flight really materially significant compared to all the other costs involved? I mean, it's a ludicrous luxury for most when it comes to a weekend getaway, but as part of an overall process that already costs hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, it feels more like a rounding error.
 
Vanderlinde said:
People even before WW2 never had a long life expectancy compared to now. Sure things add up like pollution, micro plastics, oils indeed, processed food and such, but compared to more then 100 years ago; we live longer today. It's estimated we can live up to a 122 years of age with todays stuff. Back in the days you'd be happy if you made it in your 40's.
Click to expand...
Infectious Diseases like Pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis, and gastrointestinal infections were major killers in the early 1900s. As public health improved and sanitation practices moved forward, the death rates from infectious diseases began to decline.

Heart disease and cancer are the number one killers currently. Then there is auto accidents.

We are only living longer in this era due to advancements in health care.
Health care is expensive though, smoking, vaping, eating McDonalds, all the processed foods and sugar is definitely a huge contributor to the health conditions today.
 
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