Jakarta. Indonesia's leading referral hospital has successfully implanted the world's smallest Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) in what officials described as the first procedure of its kind in Asia, marking a major milestone in the country's advanced cardiovascular care.

The procedure was performed on  August 1 at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) in Jakarta using the CoreHeart 6, an implantable mechanical heart pump designed to support patients with advanced heart failure.

An LVAD is a battery-powered mechanical pump that helps the heart's weakened left ventricle circulate blood throughout the body. It is commonly used in patients with end-stage heart failure who are awaiting heart transplantation or are not eligible for a transplant because of limited donor availability or other medical conditions.

Director General of Advanced Healthcare at the Health Ministry Azhar Jaya said the breakthrough offers a new treatment option for patients with advanced heart failure, who often face limited access to donor organs and transplant specialists.

"For years, heart transplantation has been the primary treatment for end-stage heart failure. But donor shortages and the limited number of specialized surgeons have made the procedure difficult. LVAD technology offers new hope by extending patients' lives while improving their quality of life," Azhar said.

He described the achievement as evidence that Indonesia is capable of adopting world-class medical technology and urged that the expertise be transferred to more healthcare professionals across the country.

"The knowledge should not remain within one team. The more doctors who master this technology, the more patients we can save," he said.

Birry Karim, head of RSCM's Cardiovascular Department, said the successful implantation resulted from years of preparation and close collaboration among cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists and other specialists.

RSCM began developing its advanced heart failure program in 2017, gradually building an integrated multidisciplinary service for patients with severe cardiac disease.

"The success belongs to the entire team. Treating advanced heart failure requires close collaboration across multiple medical disciplines," Birry said.

The hospital said its first patient has shown encouraging progress. Within about 24 hours of surgery, the patient had been removed from mechanical ventilation, begun rehabilitation exercises and demonstrated improvements in several clinical indicators. 

The recipient was a 45-year-old woman with advanced heart failure and a severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction of just 14%, who experienced shortness of breath during light physical activity and had been hospitalized repeatedly due to heart failure. 

Doctors continue to closely monitor the patient for postoperative complications, including infection, bleeding, and organ dysfunction.

"So far the patient's condition continues to improve. Once we were able to remove the ventilator after the critical phase, we felt a great sense of relief. This is an important milestone for advanced heart failure care in Indonesia," Birry said.

The procedure was made possible through collaboration with HeartSpan.ai and several international partners, covering device donations, physician training, technology transfer and the development of AI-supported clinical systems.

Founder and Chairman of Borderless Healthcare Group and HeartSpan.ai, Dr. Wei Siang Yu, said the partnership aimed to build a comprehensive ecosystem for heart failure treatment rather than simply introducing a new medical device.

"This is not just about implanting a device. It is about building a sustainable heart failure ecosystem through training, innovation and international collaboration," he said.

HeartSpan.ai is also developing a wirelessly powered LVAD, expected to become available next year, which could reduce infection risks associated with external power cables.

According to the company, the CoreHeart 6 has already been implanted in more than 1,500 patients in China, and in some cases the device has been removed after two to three years because heart function had recovered sufficiently.

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