Home-grown invention marks first heart implant in global milestone

Australia’s first implant of the total artificial heart has been announced as an unmitigated clinical success, with the patient becoming the first in the world to be discharged from hospital.

The BiVACOR implant took place on 22 November 2024 at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney in a six-hour procedure led by St Vincent’s cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon, Dr Paul Jansz. This is the first implant to take place outside the US and is the sixth in the world.

After a few weeks in the ICU, followed by observation in the ward by St Vincent’s clinicians, led by heart failure and transplant cardiologist Professor Chris Hayward, the patient – a man in his forties from NSW who has declined to be identified – became the first patient in the world to be discharged from hospital with the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart in early February 2025.

MTPConnect CEO Stuart Dignam said the announcement was another major milestone achievement for the company that had received backing via one of MTPConnect’s accelerator programs, an initiative of the Medical Research Future fund.

“It’s wonderful to see a home grown Aussie innovation being used to save Aussie lives. It’s great news for this patient, and for future patients battling heart failure,’ said Dignam.

“Back in 2022, MTPConnect’s Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program provided funding to help progress the device’s development, and we are excited to be following BiVACOR’s journey of success.

The patient received their donor heart transplant on 6 March and is recovering well. At 105 days, it is the longest period in the world for a BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart patient between obtaining their implant and then receiving their donor heart transplant.

The long-term ambition is for implant recipients to be able to live with their device without needing a heart transplant.

Dr Daniel Timms, Queensland-born inventor of the world’s first durable total artificial heart and BiVACOR’s founder and Chief Technical Officer, said he was proud to see the technology progress in Australia.

“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,” said Dr Timms.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see our device deliver extended support to the first Australian patient. The unique design and features of the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart translate into an unmatched safety profile, and it’s exhilarating to see decades of work come to fruition.”

Dr Jansz said it was a privilege to be part of such an historic and pioneering Australian medical event.

“Heart failure kills almost 5,000 Australians every year. We’ve worked towards this moment for years and we’re enormously proud to have been the first team in Australia to carry out this procedure,” stated Dr Jansz.

“As Australia’s leading heart and lung transplant centre, St Vincent’s was the natural first choice as the venue for the first total artificial heart implant. St Vincent’s was the location for Australia’s first heart transplant in 1968, the establishment of the National Heart Transplant Program by Dr Victor Chang in 1984, and the development of ‘heart in a box’ technology in 2014.”

Professor Hayward said “The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart ushers in a whole new ball game for heart transplants, both in Australia and internationally. 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.”

Monash University’s Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Sharon Pickering, said the Artificial Heart Frontiers Program (AHFP) is a shining example of the transformative innovation our nation can achieve when universities, industry and government come together.

“The Artificial Heart Frontiers Program underlines Monash’s commitment to purpose-driven research and innovation to deliver tangible and significant benefits to so many individuals, families and communities, both in Australia and globally,” said Professor Pickering.

He added, “Over the next three years and beyond, the AHFP Consortium’s expert engineers, clinicians and researchers will accelerate this Australian-grown world leading research and development program to further develop the TAH and related game-changing mechanical circulatory support devices that will deliver substantial global health and economic benefits through urgently needed solutions for advanced forms of heart failure, for which there are limited or no available treatments.”

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