UCSF Health announced on Mar. 12 that it has performed its first heart transplant for a patient who previously received an artificial heart. The patient, a 37-year-old resident of the Central Valley, underwent the initial implantation of the artificial heart in August 2025 at the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights. After being discharged in September, he received a donor heart three months later during an eight-hour surgery.
The procedure marks a significant milestone for UCSF Health, which operates one of the largest heart transplant programs in the United States and is currently the only center in Northern California offering fully mechanical hearts as a bridge to transplantation. To date, four Total Artificial Hearts have been implanted by UCSF Health.
The artificial heart serves as a temporary replacement for both ventricles in patients with end-stage heart failure, keeping them alive until a suitable donor organ becomes available. The patient’s surgeries were led by Dr. Amy Fiedler, surgical director of the heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support program, and Dr. Jason W. Smith, chief of cardiac surgery and lung transplantation.
“We are incredibly proud of our program and our patients,” said Fiedler, who previously led what is believed to be the world’s first all-female heart transplant at UCSF in 2022. “As an institution, we have been advancing patient care in an innovative and thoughtful manner, especially for the sickest patients suffering from end-stage heart failure,” she said. “The creation and success of our Total Artificial Heart program demonstrate the commitment we have to bringing the gift of heart transplant to those who need it most.”
UCSF plans to launch a clinical trial involving new artificial heart technology known as the BiVACOR titanium device, which recently received FDA “breakthrough” status and is currently under investigational study prior to full approval.
UCSF Health-UCSF Medical Center is recognized among top specialty hospitals nationwide for adult care by U.S. News & World Report and holds top rankings in cardiology and vascular surgery within the San Francisco Metro Area.
