US implants a titanium heart into a patient
Scientific news publication Clinical Trials Arena reported that the Texas Heart Institute and medical device company BiVACOR successfully implanted a titanium heart.
The artificial blood pump uses magnet technology akin to trains to circulate blood. The trial was part of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Early Feasibility Study for those waiting for heart transplants.
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CTA says patients wait an average of three years to get new hearts, so the titanium heart will be a “bridge-to-heart-transplant solution.”
How does the titanium heart work?
Surgeons have successfully implanted an artificial titanium heart in the chest of a human patient, powered by the same maglev technology used in high-speed rail. https://t.co/NepPIbbi25 pic.twitter.com/YqdU0SsjzV
— IGN (@IGN) July 29, 2024
BiVACOR’s Total Artificial Heart (TAH) uses magnetic levitation technology to power its unique pump. The latter only has a single moving part: a magnetically suspended dual-sided rotor.
The official website says it has “left and right vanes positioned within two separate pump chambers, forming a double-sided centrifugal impeller that propels blood.”
The titanium heart moves its rotor with magnetic force to reduce contact and friction. Consequently, the medical device lessens mechanical wear and provides large blood gaps for minimizing blood trauma.
BiVACOR created its TAH to address the unmet global need to provide life-extending solutions for those waiting for heart transplants.
On July 9, 2024, the Texas Heart Institute implanted the first one successfully. Its recipient was a 57-year-old man with end-stage heart failure.
The titanium heart has impressive technology, but the first one dates back decades ago. History says Dr. William C. DeVries implanted the first artificial heart pump into dentist Barney Clark on December 2, 1982.
Robert K. Jarvik created it, hence its name, Jarvik-7. It relied on a battery to pump blood until patients could get proper transplants.
However, Clark died on March 23, 1983, from various complications. Fortunately, artificial hearts have improved significantly over the years, and BiVACOR’s titanium option is one of the latest innovations.