WUHAN, April 16 -- year-old boy in China has become the youngest recipient of a magnetically levitated biventricular assist device - the smallest and lightest artificial heart available - marking a significant medical breakthrough.

Doctors at Union Hospital, affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, performed the pioneering surgery earlier this month. The operation, hailed as a potential game-changer in pediatric heart care, involved implanting a newly developed artificial heart weighing just 45 grams and measuring 2.9 cm in diameter.

The child, referred to as Junjun, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in May 2024 and later suffered from severe cardiogenic shock. With a suit...