Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the procedure marked the first time such an implantation was performed at a ministry facility, involving the use of the HeartMate 3 device by a local multidisciplinary clinical team.

The device, a battery-operated mechanical pump that helps the left ventricle of the heart pump blood to the rest of the body, was implanted in a 57-year-old male patient suffering from end-stage heart failure.

“The selected patient truly required the device to save his life,” Bernama reported him as saying.

Dzulkefly said the surgery took about five hours and was completed smoothly without complications. The patient was successfully weaned off all inotropic (drug-based) support and is currently undergoing physiotherapy.

He added that the cost of the device reached about RM680,000, while the total cost of the procedure amounted to about RM800,000.

“Although it is expensive, this device is still regarded by the cardiology community as one of the most cost-effective treatment options,” he said.

Dzulkefly said any decision to expand the device’s use as part of national policy would depend on the outcome of further analyses and assessments of the patient’s quality of life following the procedure.

Earlier, the statistics department said ischaemic heart disease was once again the leading cause of death in Malaysia in 2024, responsible for 17,421 or 13% of medically certified deaths.

Chief statistician Uzir Mahidin said ischaemic heart disease was the main cause of death in 13 states, with Selangor recording the highest number at 3,038, followed by Johor with 2,620 and Kedah with 2,349.

He noted that globally, heart disease was the leading cause of death in the United States and Australia in 2023.