An Australian patient has become the first person in the world to be discharged from hospital with a totally artificial heart.
A NSW man in his 40s had the implant put in November during a six-hour operation at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.
He spent several weeks in the ICU, then more time under observation in a general ward, before being discharged last month.
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The artificial heart is made from titanium by med-tech company BiVACOR and it’s designed to keep patients alive until an organ donor’s heart becomes available.
The patient got a donor heart transplant in early March.
It’s the longest a person has gone between having an artificial heart and getting a heart transplant.
The device uses a pump to keep up essential heart functions.
]The device’s Queensland-born inventor Dr Daniel Timms said he was proud to see the progress of the technology.
“Being able to bring Australia along this journey and be part of the first clinical trials is immensely important to me and something that I set out to do from the very beginning,” Timms said.
“The entire BiVACOR team is deeply grateful to the patient and his family for placing their trust in our Total Artificial Heart.
“Their bravery will pave the way for countless more patients to receive this lifesaving technology.”
St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney’s Dr Paul Jansz described being part of the operation as a privilege.
“Heart failure kills almost 5,000 Australians every year,” he said.
“We’ve worked towards this moment for years and we’re enormously proud to have been the first team in Australia to carry out this procedure.”
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