The device is BrioVAD, a fully magnetically levitated artificial heart independently developed in China. Since its creation, it has operated continuously and simulated billions of heartbeats, offering new hope to patients suffering from end-stage heart failure.
In a showroom at Suzhou Industrial Park in east China's Jiangsu Province, a metal pump about the size of a table tennis ball operates quietly. Connected to a power source and biomimetic tubes, its metallic impeller levitates steadily at the centre, spinning at high speed.
The device is BrioVAD, a fully magnetically levitated artificial heart independently developed in China. Since its creation, it has operated continuously and simulated billions of heartbeats, offering new hope to patients suffering from end-stage heart failure.
By utilizing a design that separates the motor from the magnetic levitation unit, the device achieves a smaller overall size alongside a larger rotor diameter and lower operating speeds. This configuration improves blood compatibility and significantly reduces the risk of complications.
Following approval to enter clinical trials in the United States, BrioVAD expanded its reach to Europe. On June 2, it was successfully implanted into a patient at the University Medical Center Utrecht hospital in the Netherlands, marking its official entry into the European market.
