Australian man survives 100 days with titanium heart

An Australian man has made history by surviving over 100 days with an artificial titanium heart. This patient, who is in his 40s and lives in New South Wales, received the device called BiVACOR at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney last November. He was the sixth person in the world and the first in Australia to get this heart replacement after suffering severe heart failure. The procedure to implant the BiVACOR took six hours and was led by surgeon Paul Jansz. He expressed pride in being the first team in Australia to perform this operation. The man had no major complications while using the device and recently received a donor heart transplant. The BiVACOR heart was invented by Dr. Daniel Timms and serves as a bridge to keep patients alive until a donor heart becomes available. It works by using a magnetically suspended rotor to pump blood in regular pulses. The device connects to an external controller that operates on batteries during the day and can be plugged in at night. Titanium is used for its durability and biocompatibility. Unlike other artificial hearts that have many moving parts, BiVACOR has only one, which may reduce the chance of mechanical failure. Some doctors believe it could eventually be used as a permanent solution for patients not suitable for transplants due to age or health issues, although this idea requires more testing. While the BiVACOR has proven successful, artificial hearts still last significantly shorter than donor hearts, which can function for over 10 years.