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A Chinese medical team has created the smallest and lightest maglev-powered pediatric biventricular assist device, specifically designed for children, which has already been successfully implanted in three young patients with heart failure.
Finished late last year, the artificial heart weighs just 45 grams—about 75% lighter than the leading models used internationally. It measures only 29 millimeters in diameter, making it half the size of the smallest comparable device available worldwide.
The development was led by Dong Nianguo, head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Department at Union Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in partnership with Shenzhen Core Medical Technology.
Ventricular assist devices (VADs), also known as artificial hearts, extend patient survival by supporting heart function and providing additional time for transplants. However, most existing VADs are designed for teenagers and adults, making them unsuitable for many children due to their weight and size.
An insider from Shenzhen Core Medical Technology explained, “The third generation of fully magnetically levitated artificial hearts boasts a two-year survival rate that exceeds that of heart transplants and has become a vital treatment for end-stage heart failure. But until now, these devices were mainly used for adults and older children.”
They added, “The newly developed artificial heart is tailored specifically for children weighing between 10 kilograms and 30 kilograms, with a body surface area of less than one square meter.”
In China, around 40,000 children are hospitalized annually due to heart failure. While heart transplants remain the most effective treatment for advanced cases, a severe shortage of donors results in up to 40% of young patients passing away while waiting for a transplant.
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