A 15-year-old boy has become the first child to receive an artificial heart, following a ten-hour operation at Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital in Rome.
Artificial hearts are usually implanted on a temporary basis, but in this case the transplant is intended to be permanent.
Dr Antonio Amodeo, the paediatric cardiac surgeon who performed the procedure said that the device has been entirely located inside the thorax to reduce the risk of infection.
"This surgery opens up new horizons as there are many children who need transplants but the number of donors is very small, and there are some who cannot be transplant candidates because of illness," Amodeo said.
