Chinese doctors successfully implant world’s smallest artificial heart in 7-year-old patient

Chinese surgeons have successfully implanted the world’s smallest and lightest commercially available artificial heart into a 7-year-old patient, Anadolu Agency reported. This young boy, suffering from end-stage heart failure, is now the youngest person globally to receive a magnetically levitated biventricular assist device, an advanced type of artificial heart.

The groundbreaking surgery took place earlier this month at Union Hospital, part of Tongji Medical College at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, central China. Medical experts say this achievement marks a major advancement that could transform pediatric cardiac care around the world.

The patient was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in May 2024 and later developed severe cardiogenic shock. Because finding a compatible donor heart matching the boy’s O blood type proved difficult, doctors chose to implant an artificial heart instead.

A team of surgeons completed the five-hour operation, and by the following day, the boy was able to breathe independently. Since then, his heart function has been steadily improving, the medical team reported.