Papworth Hospital, near Huntingdon, Cambs, is celebrating 10 years since the first mechanical heart operation. The ventricular assist devices are artificial hearts that are used to support patients with severe heart failure prior to a transplant.
Steven Tsui, a consultant surgeon, said: "Some patients are so ill they would not survive the wait for a transplant."
The hospital is one of only three UK centres which performs such surgery.
Dr Tsui added: "With technological advances, it is now possible for these patients to have a mechanical heart implanted to keep them alive so they can go home to wait for a suitable donor heart."
In two rare cases, he said, patients recovered sufficiently with use of the device to allow its removal without needing a transplant.
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