An Australian man with heart failure has made medical history by surviving over 100 days with an artificial titanium heart, marking a significant milestone in cardiology and гварnteeing a potential future for fully mechanical heart replacements. This groundbreaking achievement is raising hopes that such devices could eventually eliminate the need for donor heart transplants.
According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming approximately 17.9 million lives each year. This highlights the urgent need for advancements in heart failure treatments and organ donation availability.
At St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, a six-hour surgery in November 2024 implanted the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) into the unnamed 40-year-old patient, who had been suffering from severe heart failure.
He spent several weeks in ICU followed by observation before being discharged in early February. The artificial heart supported him for 105 days until he could receive a donor heart transplant on March 6. He is currently on the path to recovery.
Before this breakthrough, the US had also seen the implantation of the BiVACOR TAH in a 57-year-old man with end-stage heart failure at Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center in Houston in July 2024. Those employing this titanium heart device as a bridge to transplant have so far successfully transitioned to donor hearts and been discharged.
The titanium heart might help alleviate the pervasive donor heart shortage by extending survival times for patients awaiting transplantation. However, the device is not considered a permanent replacement for the human heart yet. Multiple trials are being conducted, including a five-person study approved by the US FDA, with planned expansion to 15 more in the coming months.
Locating a suitable donor heart can be challenging due to shortage and compatibility issues. Patients typically wait 18 to 24 months on the waiting list in the UK, with more urgent cases receiving priority.
Heart failure affects around 26 million people globally, including 6.2 million adults in the US, but heart transplants are rare, with less than 6,000 performed annually. These are reserved for the most severe cases.
The mechanical heart uses a spinning disc to circulate blood, unlike the pumping action of a natural heart. It needs a small external controller for operation, which is battery-powered and can be charged during the night.
Titanium is chosen due to its strength, lightness, and resistance to corrosion, and it’s ideal for use in the body for extended periods. The BiVACOR heart is the first of its kind to completely replace the failing heart, reducing risks associated with most artificial hearts.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/17/could-titanium-hearts-be-a-solution-to-a-global-heart-donor-shortage?traffic_source=rss
