An Australian man has made history as the first person globally to live with a durable titanium artificial heart for over 100 days and be discharged from hospital. The breakthrough, involving the BiVACOR total artificial heart, was hailed as an “unmitigated clinical success” by St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, Monash University, and BiVACOR, the US-Australian firm behind the innovation.

The patient, a man in his 40s who chose anonymity, suffered severe heart failure before undergoing a six-hour surgery on November 22, 2024, at St Vincent’s Hospital. The BiVACOR device, implanted as a bridge to transplantation, sustained him for 105 days until he received a donor heart in early March 2025. This marks the longest duration worldwide for a BiVACOR patient between implant and transplant, surpassing the previous record of 27 days set in the US.

The BiVACOR artificial heart, the world’s first implantable rotary blood pump using magnetic levitation technology, fully replaces a failing heart. It includes a Mini-Pump for end-stage patients and a Left Ventricle Assist Device (LVAD) to support a natural heart. This implant, the sixth globally and first in Australia, follows the initial procedure in July 2024 at the Texas Heart Institute.

With over 23 million people worldwide battling heart failure and only 6,000 donor hearts available annually, this technology promises a game-changer. “Within a decade, artificial hearts could become a viable alternative for those unable to wait for donors,” said Professor Chris Hayward, a cardiologist at St Vincent’s. The patient’s 105-day journey underscores the device’s potential to transform treatment, offering hope to millions facing limited options.