Comment Re:25 years is permanent? (Score 1) 241
Where does it say that the heart is only good for 25 more years? It says that he can expect to live another 25 years. That's how long until they estimate the rest of his body will give out.
Also, there's nothing to stop them putting in another heart.
When they say "permanent" they are mainly drawing a distinction between this and early artificial hearts, which were only stop-gap measures to last until a real transplant heart could be found; typically people on them only had a few days or weeks until they died without a transplant. It was extraordinary the first time someone lasted 6 months on one, and I don't think he ever left the hospital.