Latest news with #BiVACORTotalArtificialHeart
Time Magazine
08-05-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
Daniel Timms
As a kid growing up in Australia, Daniel Timms shared a passion with his father, a plumber, for building fishponds behind their house, tinkering with how to recycle the water. Years later, his father needed a heart transplant and was struggling with a mechanical valve prone to breaking down while waiting for one. Father and son—who was by then a bioengineering student—realized a better implant design was sitting in their backyard. 'The pond pumps are basically spinning discs,' Timms says—a simpler, more resilient machinery to circulate blood than most implants use. They built prototypes of their improved implant—which they called an artificial heart—on their kitchen table, and Timms continued to improve the design over his career as an engineer. Since mid-2024, people have reaped the benefits through an early FDA-approved study based in the U.S. and simultaneous studies in Australia. In March, an Australian man lived a record 105 days with Timms's device, called the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart, before receiving a heart transplant. 'It's a paradigm shift,' says Timms, BiVACOR's founder and chief technical officer. A magnetic field levitates the disc, eliminating friction and degradation, so he believes it could potentially become a permanent fix, not just a stopgap measure before a transplant. Plus, clotting and infection are less likely compared to previous types. With over 6 million Americans suffering heart failure—and fewer than 4,500 getting heart transplants annually—it's anticipated that more than 20 patients will have received Timms' device over the course of 2025 in three countries, including the U.S. The goal is to use the artificial heart beyond experimental trials, in regular treatment. Timms's father passed away before he could see this progress. 'We knew we probably couldn't finish it in time for him,' Timms says. 'We worked tirelessly, but not just for him. It was for everyone.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A Man Lived Over 100 Days With a Titanium Heart. What If He's the Future of Medicine?
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Millions of people around the world suffer from heart failure with not nearly enough donors to go around. A new life-saving titanium device called the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) recently kept a patient alive for more than 100 days while awaiting a donor heart. Although designed as a stop-gap device for would-be heart donor recipients, the titanium heart could be a future permanent heart replacement for those too old or sick to undergo a transplant. Being a man with a heart of stone isn't usually a compliment, but a heart of titanium, on the other hand, might just save your life. At least that's true for one particular Australian man who lived with an artificial titanium heart while waiting for a match for a heart transplant. According to St. Vincent's Hospital Sydney in Australia, the man eventually received that heart and is recovering well. The patient was the sixth person to ever receive the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH), the first to do so in Australia, and also the first to live with the device for more than a month, but he didn't stop there—his titanium ticker was pumping blood for more than 100 days. That's particularly impressive as the mechanical device was initially designed as a stopgap measure as patients with heart failure wait for a donor heart—and those waiting lists can be to Nature, 7 million adults live with heart failure in the U.S. alone yet only 4,500 heart transplants were performed in 2023. That leaves many millions across the globe in need of short-term solutions while waiting for a heart, and it appears BiVACOR can help in the most severe circumstances. The five previous trials of the device, all in the United States, also were successes though they featured earlier versions of the device that weren't designed for at-home support. The first device was implanted on July 9, 2024, at The Texas Heart Institute. 'Utilizing advanced MAGLEV technology, our TAH brings us one step closer to providing a desperately needed option for people with end-stage heart failure who require support while waiting for a heart transplant,' Daniel Timms, the CTO of BiVACOR, said after the successful implantation in July. Suitable for most men and women, this small device uses a titanium biventricular rotary pump that, as Timms describes, contains a magnetically levitated rotor that pumps blood and therefore replaces the need for the failing heart's ventricles. This MAGLEV technology ensures that there's no wear-and tear of the device, a defect that could prove fatal for someone relying on the titanium heart, or incidences of blood trauma.[WHOEVER TOP EDITS, READ THAT LAST SENTENCE. DOESNT THAT NOT MAKE SENSE? FEEL WE CAN JUST CUT] The TAH is currently only a short-term solution for those with heart failure, but that may not always be the case. In some cases, patients who are too old or sick for a transplant could use the BiVACOR TAH as a permanent replacement. However, Nature notes that the device still needs to go through trials for such an application. 'Many end-stage heart disease patients are actually too sick to qualify for heart transplants,' heart surgeon Jacob N. Schroder, surgical director of Advanced Heart Failure at Duke, who performed the second BiVACOR TAH operation in November 2024, said in a press statement. 'Current technologies are effective for some patients but still leave others without options. Having another way to bridge a path to transplant would fill a tremendous void and truly be a lifesaver.' For now, BiVACOR TAH is only accessible in clinical trials approved by the FDA, and the Australian implantation is part of Monash University's Artificial Heart Frontiers Program that aims to commercialize life-saving heart failure devices. BiVACOR TAH isn't quite like the flexible membranes that made up replacement hearts in the past, but its six-for-six winning streak certainly has cardiologists and surgeons around the world taking notice. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Al Jazeera
17-03-2025
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Could titanium hearts be a solution to a global heart donor shortage?
An Australian man with heart failure has become the first person in the world to survive more than 100 days with an artificial titanium heart as he waited to receive a donor transplant. The breakthrough raises hopes that fully mechanical hearts could one day replace the need for donor transplants. Diseases of the heart and surrounding blood vessels are the leading cause of death globally, killing about 17.9 million people each year, according to the World Health Organization. Here's what to know about how the titanium heart works, and can it solve the global donor shortage? What happened with the man with an artificial heart? The man in his forties, who declined to be identified, became the first person to be discharged from hospital with a fully artificial heart implant. During a six-hour surgery in November 2024 at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) made of titanium was implanted into the patient, who was experiencing severe heart failure. After spending a few weeks in intensive care, followed by observation in the hospital, the patient was discharged in early February. He lived with the artificial heart for 105 days before receiving a donor heart transplant on March 6, and is currently recovering well, according to his doctors. Has anyone else had a titanium heart transplant? In July 2024, a 57-year-old man with end-stage heart failure received the BiVACOR TAH at Baylor St Luke's Medical Center in Houston, Texas. This was the first human implantation of the titanium heart, serving as a bridge to a real heart transplant. The device supported the patient for eight days in the hospital until a donor heart became available. Between July and November 2024, four other men in their mid-forties to mid-sixties in the US also received the BiVACOR TAH. Each patient successfully transitioned to a donor heart transplant and was discharged from the hospital within a month. None of the US patients left the hospital with the device. Could it solve a heart donor shortage? The titanium heart could possibly help address the donor shortage by keeping patients alive while they wait for a real heart transplant. However, it is still uncertain whether it could ever serve as a permanent replacement for a human heart. The procedures in the US, for example, were part of a five-person early feasibility study approved by the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with plans to expand the trial to 15 more patients in the coming months. The goal of such trials is to determine whether the titanium heart can safely keep patients alive while they wait for a transplant. Finding a donor heart isn't easy because there aren't enough available, and matching a heart to a patient can take time. In the United Kingdom, for example, patients on the regular waiting list for a donor heart usually wait 18 to 24 months. Those in urgent or emergency cases get priority and may receive a heart sooner because their condition is more critical. Heart failure affects at least 26 million people worldwide, including 6.2 million adults in the US. However, heart transplants remain rare, with fewer than 6,000 performed globally each year, reserved only for the most severe cases. How does a titanium heart work? The titanium artificial heart works very differently from a real heart. A natural heart beats by squeezing and relaxing to pump blood, but this artificial heart does not beat at all. Instead, it has a spinning disc inside that moves the blood around the body. This disc floats in place using magnets, so it never touches anything, meaning there's no friction and less chance of it wearing out over time. To keep running, the artificial heart needs a small external controller, which is powered by batteries during the day and plugged into a power source at night. A thin cable runs under the skin to connect the heart to this controller. Most artificial heart devices only replace one side of the heart, usually the left side. But the BiVACOR heart completely replaces the entire organ, making it an option for people whose whole heart is failing and who might not survive while waiting for a donor heart. Why was titanium chosen for an artificial heart? Titanium was chosen because it is strong, lightweight, and resistant to corrosion, making it ideal for long-term use in the body. Unlike other artificial hearts, which have multiple moving parts that can wear out, this one has only one spinning disc, reducing the risk of failure. Before the development of the BiVACOR artificial heart, the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart was the most commonly used device for patients with severe heart failure. Approved by the FDA in the early 2000s, the SynCardia heart is constructed primarily from polyurethane, a type of durable plastic. Over the past two decades, it has been temporarily implanted in more than 2,000 patients across 20 countries while they awaited donor heart transplants. However, the SynCardia device is relatively large and complex, with multiple moving parts that can wear out over time. Scientists have also explored using animal organs to treat heart failure. In January 2022, surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center in the US performed the first transplant of a genetically modified pig heart into a human patient with severe heart disease. Despite initial success, the patient developed complications and passed away approximately two months later. How long could a titanium heart last? Currently, no one knows the exact lifespan of the titanium heart in humans. In lab tests, the device has operated continuously for more than four years without signs of failure. While the Australian man's 100-day trial was the longest recorded use of the titanium heart in a human, the BiVACOR team has said further trials are needed to determine whether it could become a long-term replacement rather than just a temporary bridge to a transplant. The development of the device began in 2001 when Daniel Timms, inspired by his father's heart condition, started working on the concept during his PhD at Queensland University of Technology in Australia. Since then, it has undergone years of research, redesign, and testing in animals like calves and pigs. What challenges come with an artificial heart? One of the biggest challenges with organ transplants is immune rejection, where the body attacks the new organ as a foreign object. Since the BiVACOR titanium heart does not contain any biological tissue, the risk of rejection is lower compared with donor hearts or pig heart transplants. However, trial protocols indicate patients still take blood-thinning medication to prevent clotting around the device. Additionally, patients with the BiVACOR heart must stay connected to an external power source at all times. While portable battery packs allow for some mobility, the process still requires lifestyle adjustments such as battery recharging, avoiding activities that could damage the external parts, and planning travel carefully to ensure access to power.
Daily Tribune
14-03-2025
- Health
- Daily Tribune
Man Survives 100 Days with Artificial Titanium Heart in Groundbreaking Medical Trial
A groundbreaking medical trial in Australia has seen a man survive for 100 days with an artificial titanium heart, marking a significant milestone in cardiac technology. The patient, a man in his 40s who has chosen to remain anonymous, received the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) in November at St. Vincent's Hospital Sydney. In February, he became the first person to be discharged from the hospital while relying on the device. Earlier this month, he successfully underwent a donor heart transplant and is now recovering well, according to a joint statement from St Vincent's Hospital, Monash University, and BiVACOR, the company behind the artificial heart. The BiVACOR TAH is designed to replace both ventricles of a failing heart. It features a single moving part—a magnetically levitated rotor—constructed from titanium, eliminating the need for mechanical bearings or valves that could wear out over time. Australian bioengineer Daniel Timms, who founded BiVACOR after losing his father to heart disease, called the achievement a major step forward in heart failure treatment. "This milestone represents decades of hard work, and we are deeply grateful to the patient and his family for trusting our technology," Timms said. Professor Chris Hayward of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, who has been overseeing the patient's recovery, said the success of the device could transform the future of heart transplants. "Within the next decade, artificial hearts may become a viable alternative for patients who are unable to receive donor hearts in time," Hayward stated. The BiVACOR device has been undergoing trials in the United States as part of the FDA's Early Feasibility Study. Five patients have been implanted with the device so far, including a 58-year-old man in Texas last year, who survived for eight days before receiving a donor heart. Researchers hope the study will expand to 15 patients. The Australian trial is part of Monash University's Artificial Heart Frontiers Program, a AU$50 million ($31 million) initiative aimed at advancing artificial heart technology. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, with around 18 million fatalities annually, according to the World Health Organization. Experts believe that artificial hearts like the BiVACOR TAH could help address the shortage of donor hearts and improve survival rates for patients with end-stage heart failure. Medical researchers say further trials will be needed before the BiVACOR heart can be considered for widespread use, but this latest development marks a promising step forward in the field of cardiac care.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
World-First: Man Leaves Hospital With Life-Saving Titanium Heart
In early February, an Australian man in his 40s became the first person in the world to leave hospital with a virtually unbreakable heart made of metal. 'Beating' in his chest was a titanium pump about the size of a fist. For 105 days, the metal organ's levitating propeller pushed blood to the man's lungs and kept him alive as he went about his usual business. On March 6, when a human donor heart became available, the man's titanium heart was swapped out for the real thing. Doctors say without the metal stop-gap, the patient's real heart would have failed before a donor became available. With his real heart, the man could only walk 10 to 15 meters without experiencing shortness of breath. Now, he's up and about doing things he hasn't been able to do for many years, says transplant cardiologist Chris Hayward, head of the surgical team at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney where the procedure was carried out. Lead surgeon, Paul Jansz, told press in Australia the invention is a "complete game-changer", and the event gave him "goosebumps". The radical, trailblazing achievement was nearly 25 years in the making. Last year, the first human implant of the titanium heart, owned by the medical device company BiVACOR, kept a 58-year-old man in the US alive for eight days before a donor heart became available. Now, the first implant outside the US and the sixth attempt overall gives us a tantalizing glimpse at the invention's true, long-term potential. "The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart ushers in a whole new ball game for heart transplants, both in Australia and internationally," says Hayward. "Within the next decade we will see the artificial heart becoming the alternative for patients who are unable to wait for a donor heart or when a donor heart is simply not available." Daniel Timms, a biomedical engineer from Australia, has been working on a mechanical heart that can replace a severely damaged one since his father's heart attack in 2001. As the son of a plumber, Timms started out on the floor of a hardware store, connecting pipes and valves to mimic the human circulatory system. To see his invention save the life of a person in Australia with severe heart damage after numerous design iterations and animal studies is a full circle moment for Timm. "Being able to bring Australia along this journey and be part of the first clinical trials is immensely important to me and something that I set out to do from the very beginning," says Timms. "The entire BiVACOR team is deeply grateful to the patient and his family for placing their trust in our Total Artificial Heart. Their bravery will pave the way for countless more patients to receive this lifesaving technology." No one knows how long BiVACOR's Total Artificial Heart can last inside the human body, but in the lab, the design has continued working for four years and counting. Less durable artificial hearts can last for years in some patients awaiting transplant. Unlike these other versions, Timms and researchers at BiVACOR designed the titanium heart to be 'virtually unbreakable'. To resist wear and corrosion, the metal organ contains just one moving part: a magnetically levitating rotor, spinning between two chambers without touching any hard surface. This means that friction cannot cause damage over time. Only the external battery, which exits through the abdomen, needs replacement. Another perk of the titanium heart is its size. Unlike other artificial hearts made from flexing membranes and valves, the 650-gram titanium heart is compact and can fit comfortably inside the chest of a woman or even a child around 12 years of age. Yet despite its size, researchers say it can sustain a fully grown man during exercise. Each year, fewer than 6,000 heart transplants take place worldwide, and yet a donor organ is the only way to save the millions of people out there with severe cardiac damage at risk of imminent death. In the past two decades, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the commercial sale of only one artificial heart to buy patients more time. BiVACOR is not yet available for commercial sale, but if it keeps performing this well in clinical trials, it's surely only a matter of time. Four more devices are available for implant in Australia this year via the Monash University Artificial Heart Frontiers Program. Experts Warn Against Slushies For Kids, After UK Hospitalizations A Cheap Daily Supplement Appears to Boost Brain Function in Older People Latest Alzheimer's Drugs Can Add Years of Independence to Patient Lives
