For the first time in Israel, the successful transplant of a completely artificial heart was performed at Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem in a 63-year-old patient who would have otherwise died.
The patient’s heart was removed from his body and replaced with a special artificial heart made of titanium combined with biological animal tissues and advanced sensors. The seven-hour-long operation – called Total Artificial Heart Therapy Implantation of a Total Artificial Heart (TAH) – was led by an extensive medical team that included cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensive care specialists, operating room nurses, and heart-lung machine technicians.
TAH is a treatment option for patients with end-stage biventricular failure, a severe stage of heart failure where both the left and right ventricles of the heart are unable to pump blood effectively, leading to a variety of symptoms and potentially life-threatening complications.
Left and right ventricles are the lower chambers of the heart that pump blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. It is characterized by the heart’s inability to meet the body’s need for blood flow, often requiring advanced therapies like heart transplantation or artificial hearts. It can lead to severe symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs and ankles, and abdominal pain.
The complex operation, which required thorough preparation, was made possible after a team from Hadassah went to France for training on the subject, accompanied by local cardiac surgeons and representatives of the French company CARMAT. There, the team learned the transplantation method on its own and even trained the other members of the medical team upon its return home.
Why is this the first artificial heart transplant?
Prof. Ofer Amir, a senior cardiologist and chief of cardiology at Hadassah, managed the operation and its feasibility in recent months. “This is a major first in Israel, so many preparations were required with the patient’s health fund and with the approval of the Health Ministry and Hadassah management.
When this was given, and funding of NIS Clalit Healthcare obtained 1.6 million, the professional preparations necessary for such a complex procedure began with training the team and preparing the patient,” he said. The patient had been waiting for a human heart transplant, but no suitable one was found.
Dr. Amit Korah headed the team. “Until now, all heart patients who have undergone advanced equipment transplantation in Israel have actually received the implantation of left ventricular support pumps, which were connected to the part of the patient’s real heart, which, of course, remained in his body. These supports help those whose left ventricle is damaged, but do not provide a solution for those whose two ventricles collapse together and are living on borrowed time.
Therefore, this is a historic event, which, for the first time in Israel, offers life-saving treatment to those whose hearts do not function in both chambers of the heart. Our patient is the only person in Israel living with a complete artificial heart and without his real heart in his body.”
“So far,” Korah continued, a total of 114 such surgeries have been performed worldwide for the transplantation of the artificial heart, and to the joy of all of us, the surgery at Hadassah was successful, and the heart appears to be functioning properly, and the patient’s condition is good. He is improving day by day, and the indicators show good and satisfactory functions.”