Australia has marked a historic moment in medical innovation with the successful implantation of the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart.
A man who received the device in a six-hour surgery last November has become the first patient in the world to be discharged from the hospital with it. He lived with the high-tech heart for over 100 days before receiving a donor transplant.
The procedure was performed at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, where cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Paul Jansz led the surgery. The BiVACOR heart, made from titanium, was implanted as a temporary solution until a donor heart became available. However, doctors believe it has the potential to serve as a permanent replacement for failing human hearts.
“There were definitely nerves, especially when Daniel [Timms, who invented BiVACOR] flicked the switch and turned it [the artificial heart] on,” Jansz said. He described the device as “the Holy Grail,” emphasizing that it cannot fail or be rejected by the body.
Engineering innovation: the role of magnetic levitation
The BiVACOR artificial heart employs a magnetically levitated rotor to pump blood, eliminating mechanical wear and extending device longevity. This innovation ensures smooth, continuous blood circulation, reducing the risk of clot formation and structural degradation over time.
The device is the brainchild of Australian biomedical engineer Daniel Timms, who has dedicated his career to artificial heart development. His inspiration stemmed from childhood experiences working with his plumber father, experimenting with water pumps.
Timms credits early engineering explorations at local hardware stores as pivotal to the BiVACOR’s evolution. “We had a goal between us—can we get the largest receipt at Bunnings?” he recalled, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “We were trying to buy as much as we could to progress this along.”
His father’s death from heart failure strengthened his dedication to making the device accessible.
Artificial heart trials expand in the U.S.
The patient who received the BiVACOR heart was a man in his 40s from New South Wales, facing severe heart failure. Before the implantation, he struggled with simple tasks like walking to the bathroom and was unlikely to survive long enough for a donor heart to become available.
With the BiVACOR heart, he lived for over 100 days before receiving a successful heart transplant. “A quarter of the people waiting for a transplant [used to] die — that’s changed now with devices like this,” Jansz emphasized.
The U.S. has also begun trialing BiVACOR. The first implant took place at the Texas Heart Institute in July 2024. Since then, four more patients have received the device while waiting for transplants, though none were discharged from the hospital like the Australian patient.
Timms believes that in the next few years, artificial hearts will become more common. “We just need to make more devices, that’s the only limitation right now … we are ramping up manufacturing so they are sitting on the shelf ready and waiting.”
A small yet powerful life-saving device
Weighing only 1.43 pounds (650 grams, the BiVACOR heart is small enough to fit inside a 12-year-old. Patients reportedly cannot feel it inside their bodies. The device is powered by an external rechargeable battery that connects through a wire in the chest. The battery lasts four hours and alerts the user when it needs replacing.
Future improvements may allow patients to charge the device wirelessly, similar to mobile phone chargers.
The groundbreaking procedure was performed at the same hospital where Australia’s first heart transplant took place in 1968. St Vincent’s Hospital has played a vital role in pioneering cardiac treatments, including Australia’s first successful heart transplant in 1984 by Victor Chang.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Doctors at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital are now undergoing training to perform their first BiVACOR implant by mid-2025.
Heart failure remains a serious health crisis in Australia, claiming about 5,000 lives each year. The BiVACOR artificial heart offers new hope for those who cannot wait for a donor.
With Australia facing a 5% decline in overall organ transplants and a 19% drop in heart transplants last year, solutions like BiVACOR could revolutionize treatment for heart failure patients worldwide.
