this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2025
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Australian man survives 100 days with artificial heart in world-first success (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 2 months ago by moe90@feddit.nl to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] Cris_Color@lemmy.world 280 points 2 months ago (2 children)

The Australian researchers and doctors behind the operation announced on Wednesday that the implant had been an “unmitigated clinical success” after the man lived with the device for more than 100 days before receiving a donor heart transplant in early March.

Just in case anyone else also found the title ambiguous regarding whether "100 days" meant he died 😅

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 68 points 2 months ago

Thank you.

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 months ago

There's been a lot of cases at the start of transplant tech where people have willingly gone through the surgery, knowing they would almost certainly die, and their living 100days was counted as a massive success.
The fact this guy lived 100 days, got a donor heart, and is still, currently, alive... that's icing.

[–] original_reader@lemm.ee 83 points 2 months ago (1 children)

First of all: congratulations. Seriously. This is awesome! Secondly: you designed the most Steampunk looking heart you could. Bravo, truly a capital marvel of fine craftsmanship.

[–] daddy32@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Yes, I opened the article just to find an answer to the question: Does it really look this fucking cool? Answer: yes, yes it does.

[–] biggerbogboy@sh.itjust.works 37 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Apparently you can live with a BiVACOR TAH for around 10 years without replacement due to the Maglev system inside it.

Gosh it feels like cyberpunk 2077 is just a few years away, we just need more corporate built cities.

[–] Petter1@lemm.ee 18 points 2 months ago

America is on track I’d say, Musk n Zuck are so horny to do that…

[–] orrk@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

oh yay, a techno dystopia, just wait for the repo men after you miss your heart payment

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This is Australia, so the patient would be out of pocket about $2.50 for parking at the hospital.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 months ago

Canada's the same except we have serious parking mafia and it's c$20.

When my dear friend suffered a Widowmaker heart attack, and they lit up and staffed a theatre on an early holiday Sunday morning for a brace of stents, he didn't have to sell his house to make payments for it... Because it was c$20 for parking and a bit more for some really bad coffee. Costs were borne by all of us and it was pre-paid from taxes.

Dude survived and annoys us with his sarcasm and piss-takes to this day.

[–] Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 months ago

https://tubitv.com/movies/332938/repo-the-genetic-opera

I guess that could be the specific dystopia we're aiming for. It's a hell of a race to beat the other dystopias/apocalypses there though. But what else would you expect from a type 13 planet in it's final stage?

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 22 points 2 months ago

That thing looks so steampunk, I’m kinda jealous.

[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 20 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That's fuckin' nuts.

Also, this headline is bad. I thought he died. No. He just got a transplant after 100 days (whew).

[–] Grass@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago

it would be so fucking cool if he still had it but it really is uncharted territory

[–] Skanky@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Not to belittle this accomplishment, but how is this a "World's First" success?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_heart

[–] Lv_InSaNe_vL@lemmy.world 27 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Because I read the article I actually know the answer! It's the first time this technology has been used in a human, and it's been a huge success so far. Quote from the article

The BiVACOR total artificial heart, invented by Queensland-born Dr Daniel Timms, is the world’s first implantable rotary blood pump that can act as a complete replacement for a human heart, using magnetic levitation technology to replicate the natural blood flow of a healthy heart.

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)

It would be nice if the article said if the artificial heart includes functions such as pumping harder in response to exercise and such, because it isn't entirely clear if it does

Maybe it's implied, but I feel it should be explicitly mentioned

[–] MaggiWuerze@feddit.org 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I actually asked this very question in another post and got a technician who worked on this to answer: https://feddit.org/comment/5284139

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 months ago

Ooh, nice, thanks!

[–] kiagam@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Other prosthetic/mechanical changes to hearts don't do that, so I would guess this one doesn't either. It would require interfacing with the brain and decoding stimulus, which would be much more complex.

Usually the recipents just keep activity low or pass out when they need the energy/heat dissipation and can't get it.

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yes exactly, so when they call it a "total heart replacement" I'd like to have clarification on it, so that I know how excited I should get

It's frustrating when articles on new innovations don't go into details about them at all except just "it exists" pretty much

[–] kiagam@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Don't know if you had your answer already, the artificial heart does pump harder when exercising

https://youtube.com/shorts/uMLhsBO5fPM

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Likely the length of time is what's first.

Edit: nope several people have had them for over 100 days

[–] vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 months ago

it was first invented by Tigger, too!

[–] devilish666@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

Now time to make it look like some DeusEx heart

[–] Coldgoron@lemm.ee 6 points 2 months ago

Rare humanity win.

[–] Emi@ani.social 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I wonder if there'll ever be artificial heart that would last for decades, I imagine that would save lots of people.

[–] nyan@lemmy.cafe 3 points 2 months ago

I imagine that would save lots of people.

Lots and lots and lots. All the issues with scarcity of donor hearts and tissue compatibility would just go away, and the main constraint on heart transplants would become the availability of a cardiac surgeon. Far fewer people would die while they were on a waiting list, and there would be much less incentive to drop anyone healthy enough to survive the surgery off the list entirely.

[–] taxiiiii@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Now this is fucking cool! Sure it will probably take some time to become affordable, but that it's possible at all is awesome.

[–] hark@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I remember reading about this years ago. It's so cool seeing it being used successfully in a patient! Technology like this makes me feel better about the future.

[–] TipsyMcGee@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 months ago

It's really cool, but also kind of depressing, to see what we're capable of when we're also speed running to extinction while not even implementing well-known and obvious mitigation steategies.