Titanium heart keeps man alive for 104 days

Updated March 13, 2025, 6:22 a.m. | By East Coast Breakfast / Skyye Ndlovu

Move over, Tony Stark! There’s a new Arc Reactor in town, and it’s titanium.

In a groundbreaking medical feat straight out of a Marvel movie, a man in his 40s survived for 104 days with an artificial titanium heart, making him the first person in history to do so for that long.

And no, he wasn’t battling Thanos. He was waiting for a life-saving heart transplant, because getting a heart transplant isn’t as easy as ordering one on Takealot.

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According to Penn Medicine, the wait time for a donor heart in the US can range from days to months, depending on factors like blood type, body size, and how critical a patient’s condition is.

That’s where this game-changing artificial heart steps in, acting as a temporary (or maybe, one day, permanent) solution for those in need.

The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart, developed by a US-Australian company, is no ordinary mechanical pump. It has just one moving part – a levitated rotor, suspended in place by magnets (that’s some serious Stark tech right there).

This means less wear and tear and a smoother, more efficient way to keep patients alive while they wait for a real transplant.

The patient underwent the procedure at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia, after suffering from severe heart failure.

With his new titanium ticker keeping him going, he was eventually able to leave the hospital – the first person in the world to do so with this device.

In an even happier twist, he finally received a human heart earlier this month and is recovering well.

The big question now is: could this be the beginning of the artificial heart revolution?

According to Professor Chris Hayward from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Australia, this technology is “a whole new ball game” for heart transplants.

“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,” Hayward explained.

While the artificial heart is currently a temporary solution, the goal is to develop it into a long-term alternative to human heart transplants.

Imagine a future where heart disease no longer means waiting for a donor, but simply getting an upgrade – kinda like switching out an old battery for a new one.

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BiVACOR founder, Australian bioengineer Daniel Timms, expressed his gratitude to the patient and his family.

“The entire BiVACOR team is deeply grateful for their trust in our Total Artificial Heart. Their bravery will pave the way for countless more patients to receive this life-saving technology.”

So, are we looking at the first real-life Iron Man? Well, not quite. There’s no repulsor tech (yet), and the patient isn’t flying around in a high-tech suit.

However, 104 days powered by a titanium heart? That’s some pretty superhero-level stuff.