Already impacting more than 26 million people worldwide, heart failure continues to rise in prevalence. The demand for artificial heart implants among patients experiencing this life-threatening condition is also rising, especially since donor hearts are currently in short supply. Though many currently available artificial devices help keep patients’ blood circulating while they wait to receive permanent transplants, they often contain components that can wear down or fail after long periods of use.
On July 9th, surgeons at Baylor’s St. Luke’s Medical Center in Texas successfully implanted the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) into a human patient for the first time. Unlike other artificial replacements, the TAH is constructed of titanium and contains only a single moving magnetized rotor, meaning that it’s less prone to wearing out and failing. Representing a major breakthrough in cardiac technology, the TAH could help many patients with end-stage heart failure as they await transplants.
What Makes the Total Artificial Heart Beat
Developed by the clinical-stage medical device company BiVACOR, the TAH is a durable titanium rotary blood pump with a single moving part, its magnetically levitated or maglev rotor that uses the same technology that’s in high-speed trains. Roughly the size of a fist, the TAH is biocompatible with and compact enough to fit inside most adults’ and some children’s chests. The device includes a small rechargeable external controller that’s used to operate its blood-pumping capabilities.
Once implanted in a patient’s body, the circular rotor pumps blood from the valves into the rest of the body to support pulmonary (lung) and systemic (body) circulations. Able to pump blood at rates of up to 12 liters a minute, the device provides a strong enough flow to allow an adult to engage in regular exercise; it also auto-regulates and adjusts the blood flow to meet the patient’s physiological demands. Designed to replace and replicate the functions of both ventricles in a failing heart, the device could be especially effective for patients who have severe biventricular heart failure or are incompatible with left ventricular assist devices.
How The TAH Differs From Other Artificial Hearts
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Many previous and current artificial hearts use components like valves and flexible polymer diaphragms to pump blood. While effective at bringing blood to the rest of the body, these components require physical contact with other parts of the cardiac system. The movements between artificial components and natural body parts generate friction, which can cause the components to wear out more easily and eventually fail.
In comparison, the titanium body of the TAH makes it more wear-resistant; its magnetically suspended rotor requires no physical contact with organic body parts to function and thus generates no friction. Both of these features make it less likely the device will wear down or fail, opening the possibility that it can continue functioning well for longer than other artificial devices can.
How The TAH Helps Patients
Performed as part of an early feasibility study overseen by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), surgeons at Baylor’s St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center implanted the TAH in its first patient on July 9, 2024; after implantation, the condition of the patient, a critically ill 57-year-old man, rapidly improved. Three days after the operation, he was off ventilator support; eight days later, he successfully underwent a donor heart transplant. Following this success, the surgeons will implant the TAH in and monitor the progress of two more patients who elected to be part of the study.
Compared to other artificial devices, the TAH’s durability and virtually frictionless functionality could allow it to keep patients with severe heart failure alive for a much longer time period until those patients can receive transplants from donors. Since donor hearts are in such short supply globally, the TAH could also provide a reliable alternative to these organs and significantly reduce mortality rates among patients waiting for transplants. According to Daniel Timms, founder and CTO of BiVACOR, the TAH could provide “a desperately needed option for people with end-stage heart failure.”
Final Thoughts
Heart failure is a serious, life-threatening medical condition that affects millions of people around the world. Artificial hearts are vitally important medical devices for anyone undergoing heart failure and waiting for a permanent transplant. While many of these devices effectively pump blood to keep their users alive until transplants take place, they often risk wearing down or failing since the friction they generate leads to the wear and tear of their components.
With its durable titanium body and virtually frictionless rotary pump, the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart provides a promising solution to these current technological issues. The first patient who received a TAH implant earlier this month experienced a rapid recovery and then underwent a successful permanent transplant. While not intended to replace donor transplants, the TAH could stand up to longer use than other artificial devices and provide a stronger treatment option for people who are on long waiting lists for donor transplants.
Disclaimer: This article is intended simply to provide information. It does not replace the medical advice of a physician. Please speak with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
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