La Fe Hospital Transplants Heart in 70-Year-Old With Mechanical Pump

A bridge with a ventricular assist device

The team implanted a ventricular assist device, sometimes called a "mechanical heart". In reality it is an electromechanical pump that takes over the work of the ventricle to push blood out of the heart. Improved blood flow raised the patient's quality of life, led to significant weight loss and even improved his kidney function.

After 18 months he suffered an infectious complication. By then, however, the improvement in his other conditions allowed doctors to add him to the transplant waiting list. In October 2025, the assist device was removed and a donor heart implanted in the same operation.

Why it matters

The case only became public in November because of the surgery's high risk, which requires teams to confirm the graft's long-term viability. According to the hospital's own service, it is the second documented case in Spain of a patient in this age group reaching transplant after previously relying on a ventricular assist device.

Donor organs are scarce, and older patients have traditionally been excluded because of lower life expectancy and underlying diseases that can raise the risk of complications. Studies cited in the case indicate that, with strict selection, patients aged 70 or over reach survival rates comparable to those of younger recipients.