The heart-lung device that resulted drew comparisons to a punch-card machine. The war had helped teach surgeons that, contrary to conventional wisdom of the day, it was possible to repair a heart.

So they put Lev'Veon on a heart-lung bypass machine until they could implant an artificial heart. On Sept. 6, 2024, Lev'Veon became the first child in Michigan to get a total artificial heart ...