A Chinese medical team has developed the world’s smallest and lightest pediatric biventricular assist device powered by magnetic levitation (maglev) technology, marking a breakthrough in life-saving treatment for children with heart failure. The device has already been successfully implanted in three pediatric patients.

Completed late last year, the artificial heart weighs just 45 grams, roughly 75 percent lighter than mainstream international models. With a diameter of only 29 millimeters, it is about half the size of the smallest comparable device globally, according to the research team.

The innovation was developed by a team led by Professor Dong Nianguo, director of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Union Hospital, part of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with Shenzhen Core Medical Technology.

Artificial hearts, known as ventricular assist devices (VADs), are designed to support heart function and extend patients’ lives by buying time for a transplant. Yet most existing devices are tailored for adults or adolescents, making them unsuitable for smaller pediatric patients who cannot withstand their weight or size.

The newly developed maglev-powered pediatric VAD offers a crucial lifeline for children suffering from severe heart failure, addressing a long-standing gap in pediatric cardiac care.