Australian man first to leave hospital with artificial heart

An Australian man has become the first person in the world to leave the hospital with a durable artificial heart. He lived with the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart for over 100 days while waiting for a donor heart. The implant, designed to potentially replace the need for human donors, was successfully placed during a six-hour surgery in Sydney last November. The device uses magnetic technology to pump blood without mechanical wear. The patient, who remains anonymous, has since received a human heart transplant and is recovering well. Other patients in the U.S. received the BiVACOR but were not discharged with it.