Powering Tiny Hearts! Children's "Artificial Dual Heart" Independently Developed and Successfully Implanted

On September 24, Nanjing Children's Hospital announced that, in collaboration with Tianjin TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital, it successfully implanted a third-generation magnetic levitation dual-chamber artificial heart in a 5-year-old, 13-kilogram child with end-stage heart failure, setting a new global record for the youngest age and lightest weight for such a procedure.

The child was diagnosed with a rare restrictive cardiomyopathy three years ago, and in July this year, heart failure indicators exceeded critical thresholds. Due to the extreme scarcity of pediatric heart donors, the two hospitals decided to proceed with the surgery. The procedure, performed collaboratively by the team led by Mo Xuming from Nanjing Children's Hospital and Liu Xiaocheng from Tianjin, lasted 9 hours and overcame challenges such as device placement in a confined chest cavity and balancing blood flow between the left and right heart. One week post-surgery, the child was able to eat normally and walk short distances.

It is reported that, apart from heart transplantation, an artificial heart is a critical treatment option for children with end-stage heart failure. However, traditional artificial heart devices are designed for adults and are not suitable for young, low-weight children due to their small chest and heart cavities. The complexity was further increased in this case, as the child suffered from biventricular heart failure.

The teams from the two hospitals collaborated with Aerospace TaiXin Technology to create a chest cavity model using 3D printing based on the child’s imaging data. They developed a pediatric-specific artificial heart device using third-generation magnetic levitation technology. Weighing only 70 grams per pump, the device features low hemolysis and high biocompatibility, addressing blood flow balance issues, reducing the risk of thrombosis, and achieving a transition from "external dependence" to "internal compatibility."

"This breakthrough enables more young children with end-stage heart failure worldwide to benefit from third-generation magnetic levitation artificial hearts," said Liu Xiaocheng.