Medical Miracle: Mechanical Heart Beats Life into Patient

A medical research team successfully put a new kind of artificial heart into a patient with 'end-stage heart failure'. This artificial heart is different because it doesn't have any valves.' With many people needing to wait a long time for a heart transplant, a company called BiVACOR and two hospitals joined forces to build a heart that is completely artificial. This heart uses the same magnetic levitation technology found in high-speed trains. 

 

Magnetic levitation, or maglev, is a technology that uses the natural pushback of opposing magnets to suspend objects in the air, making them seem to float. A prime example of this is high-speed trains that effortlessly glide above magnetic tracks, surpassing speeds of 300 kilometers per hour. Now, a 57-year-old man has become the first person with end-stage heart failure to have the totally artificial maglev heart implanted on July 9, 2024.

How does the mechanical heart work?

 

BiVACOR’s Total Artificial Heart (TAH). Image credit: BiVACOR, Inc. 

 

Intended as a bridge to a heart transplant for patients experiencing severe heart failure where other treatment options are not viable, the artificial heart mimics the natural function of pumping blood. Manufactured by BiVACOR, the titanium-made BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) is adaptable to a wide range of patients and can deliver the necessary blood flow to sustain the physical demands of an adult male. 

 

The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart operates through a maglev rotor that revolves to propel blood throughout the body. This rotor is suspended without contact with the heart's titanium casing. This valveless device can adjust its pumping speed using an external control. Furthermore, its frictionless design is expected to reduce the risk of mechanical wear, and failing in the long run. 

 

Essentially, the device substitutes the function of both lower chambers of a failing heart. By continuously pumping blood throughout the body, it sustains life while patients await a suitable heart transplant. This technology offers a lifeline for individuals experiencing severe heart failure. 

 

The procedure

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted approval for the trial as a preliminary exploration of the device in its early development stages. As detailed by the FDA's website, this type of study is designed to be limited in scope. 

 

It aimed to 'evaluate the safety and performance of the BiVACOR TAH as a bridge-to-transplant solution for patients with severe biventricular heart failure or univentricular heart failure in which left ventricular assist device support is not recommended,' Clinical Trials Arena notes. 

 

This procedure was carried out on the 57-year-old patient earlier this month and proved successful. This artificial heart is not the first to be implanted successfully. However, it is the first to use maglev technology. 

 

Fortunately, the BiVACOR TAH kept the patient alive for a full week before surgeons replaced it with a donor heart on July 17. The patient is now recovering successfully, according to reports. 

 

A further four patients are scheduled to undergo the artificial heart implantation during BiVACOR's first human trial. The company's long-term goal is for its magnetically suspended device to become a lifeline for numerous patients and, ideally, a permanent replacement for the natural heart.

Is this the future of heart transplants?

 

 Surgical director of heart transplantation at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Alexis Shafii, said: "This device may serve as a life-saving bridge to a heart transplant; future studies may prove its potential as a long-term pump that can effectively serve as a total replacement for a patient’s heart. 

 

"We anticipate the BiVACOR TAH may eventually save numerous lives, as well as improve the quality of life for patients who otherwise have no alternative therapy available."

 

Cardiovascular disease continues to plague over half a billion individuals worldwide. In contrast to the enormous number of patients requiring heart transplants, there is a limited supply of donor organs available each year, with only 6,000 available worldwide. According to the National Institutes of Health, artificial hearts could be a lifeline for 100,000 patients currently awaiting life-saving procedures. 

 

These devices can potentially bridge the gap between organ failure and surgical intervention, thereby saving countless lives.

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