Samsung Medical Center said Monday that the hospital’s cardiac insufficiency team has successfully implanted HeartMate3, the latest artificial heart model. 

According to SMC, it has operated on seven cases of HeartMate3 transplant so far, and three patients have left the hospital and returned to their daily lives since the first surgery performed in September 2019. The other four patients are recovering from the surgery.

HeartMate3, made by Abbott, was introduced in Korea with the approval of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in July last year. Other Asian countries, including Singapore and Japan, also use the device. The manufacturer reduced the volume and size of the existing HeartMate 2 by using a centrifugal blood pump.

HeartMate3 transplant is the only alternative for heart failure patients with pulmonary hypertension or those who have to wait for a long time to receive surgery.

“The two-year survival rate of patients who received HeartMate3 implant was 79 percent in a large-scale study, showing a similar result to that of a heart transplant,” Cardiology Professor Kim Da-rae said. “It will be more useful for patients who need an artificial heart for a long time.”

Professor Cho Yang-hyun, who performed the surgeries, also said, “SMC can operate the HeartMate3 implant, allowing patients to choose among various options for artificial hearts.”