In a first, a 58-year-old man survived for days with a heart made of titanium after his heart experienced “end-stage” failure, media reports said.
The metal heart was built by medical technology company BiVACOR on the same principle as high-speed magnetic levitation (MagLev) trains, The Independent reported.
It was transplanted into the man without any complications on July 9 by the surgeons at the Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center in the US.
How long did the man survive with the metal heart?
The patient survived for eight days with the artificial organ before receiving a donor heart.
“I’m incredibly proud to witness the successful first-in-human implant of our Total Artificial Heart (TAH),” BiVACOR co-founder Daniel Timms said.
The heart, about the size of a fist and lacking valves, is intended as a temporary solution for patients with severe heart failure who are not suitable candidates for assist devices.
The titanium heart has a pump “with a single moving part” which supplies blood to lungs and other parts of the body. It acts as a replacement for the function of both ventricles of a failing heart.
Researchers say the device is designed so that its only moving part does not come into contact with any other surface, thus eliminating the risk of mechanical wear.
As per BiVACOR, Its design also provides gaps large enough for blood flow, “minimising trauma, offering a durable, reliable, and biocompatible heart replacement”. The company noted that the entire device is powered by a small, portable external controller that exits through the stomach. It is suitable for both men and women.
