For the first time in Israel:
Artificial heart implant that completely replaced the patient’s heart was successfully performed at Hadassah Medical Center!

A 63-year-old patient’s life was saved thanks to a complete artificial heart implant that was performed for the first time in Israel this week – at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem. The surgery was led by an extensive medical team, including cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, specialists in anesthesia and intensive care, operating room nurses and heart-lung machine technicians.

The patient’s heart was removed from his body and replaced with a special artificial heart made of titanium combined with animal tissue and advanced sensors.

The complex 7-hour surgery, which followed long and thorough preparation, was only possible after a team from Hadassah Hospital went to France for training with local cardiac surgeons and representatives of the French company that manufactured the artificial heart. There, the team learned the implantation technique and even trained the other members of the medical team upon their return to Israel.

Prof. Ofer Amir, a senior cardiologist and director of the Department of Cardiology at Hadassah, is the one who managed the operation and its feasibility in recent months. “This is a huge event in the State of Israel. It’s something that hasn’t happened before,” he says. “Once approval in principle was given and the funding for the artificial heart was obtained from the Clalit Health Insurance Fund, we began the professional preparations necessary for such a complex procedure, which began with training the team on the one hand and preparing the patient on the other.

“The patient, a 63-year-old resident of central Israel, was in very serious condition,” Prof. Amir continued. “He was suffering from heart failure and had significant difficulty breathing for years.
“It was clear to the team of specialists treating him that there was no other solution that would buy him time until a heart could be found from a deceased donor. On the other hand, it was also clear after extensive tests that he would be suitable for the special procedure of implanting an artificial heart.”

Dr. Amit Korach, the Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery at HMC, under whose auspices the groundbreaking surgery took place, explains:
“Until now, all heart patients who have undergone advanced equipment transplantation in Israel have received the implantation of left ventricular support pumps, which were connected to 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.
“So, this is a historic event. Our patient is the only person in Israel living with a complete artificial heart and without his real heart in his body. Happily, the surgery was successful and it appears that the heart is functioning properly and the patient’s condition is good. He is improving day by day and the indicators show good and satisfactory functions.”

Dr. Korach says that the new artificial heart buys the patient at least two years of a full and good life, while he waits for a real heart to be implanted in his body.