An Australian man lived for 100 days with an artificial titanium heart while he awaited a donor transplant, the longest period to date of someone with the technology.
Accordingg to CNN, a man in his 40s who declined to be identified, received the implant during surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney last November.
In February, he became the first person worldwide to leave hospital with the device, which kept him alive until a heart donor became available earlier this month.
According to a statement issued Wednesday by St Vincent’s Hospital, Monash University and BiVACOR, the US-Australian company behind the device, the man, who had severe heart failure, was “recovering well.”
The ability of the device to sustain him for so long is being celebrated as a sign the artificial heart could potentially offer a long-term option for people suffering heart failure. The device is still being trialed and has not yet been approved for general use.
