Fellows Implant World-First Magnetic Levitation Artificial Heart

Surgeons at The Texas Heart Institute in Houston in July led the first successful implantation in a living human of an artificial heart that is powered by magnetic levitation (maglev) technology.

The 57-year-old male patient, who was experiencing end-stage heart failure and awaiting a heart transplant, received the artificial organ—BiVACOR’s total artificial heart—as part of an early feasibility study by the US Food and Drug Administration. Acting as a bridge to transplant, the patient had the artificial heart in place for 8 days until a heart was available. He recovered from the transplant surgery and has been in good health since.

The surgical team included Alexis Shafii, MD, FACS, surgical director of heart transplantation and professor of surgery at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center; William Cohn, MD, FACS, professor of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine; and O. H. Frazier, MD, FACS, director of The Texas Heart Institute Cullen Cardiovascular Research Laboratory.

The artificial heart uses the maglev technology to keep the pump’s spinning part (a centrifugal impeller) floating without touching any surfaces. It can pump an equivalent amount of blood to an adult man during exercise but is sized for use in women and children, as well.

The success of this artificial heart presents encouraging data and additional options as patients await heart transplantation, which averages nearly 5 months in the US.