Zhuang Dongsheng, a 46-year-old man from East China's Jiangxi Province, had suffered from heart disease for more than eight years. About two weeks ago, he was almost dying because his heart had expanded to twice its normal size and was beating very weakly.

Surgeons spent more than three hours transplanting the device, known as the Berlin Heart, under Zhuang's own heart. One of the artificial heart's two pipelines is connected to the natural heart's left cavity and the other pipeline is connected to the aorta.

Chief surgeon Liu Zhongmin said: "Under such conditions, the artificial heart was the only way to save Zhuang's life."

In the same hospital in September last year, Liu successfully carried out Asia's first transplant of a partially implantable artificial heart.

Unlike previous types of artificial heart, the 200-gram Berlin Heart is fully implanted and can support the heart for a longer time. All that leaves the body is a wire connected to the batteries.

Older artificial hearts are only partially implanted in the body, and patients have to carry heavy devices around with them.

Zhuang has been recovering well after the operation and he is expected to leave hospital next week.

The artificial heart cost 1 million yuan (US$120,000) and was donated by the Berlin-based German Heart Center.

Every year, about 10 million people in China suffer from heart failure, and 10 percent of them die as an immediate result. A heart transplant is believed to be the only way to save them.

(China Daily December 18, 2002)