MADAM Salina Mohamed So'ot has no pulse but she is very much alive.

Madam Salina Mohamed So'ot (left) is the first recipient here to get a new artificial heart that pumps blood continuously, the reason why there are no beats on her wrist.

The 30-year-old administrative assistant is the first recipient here to get a new artificial heart that pumps blood continuously, the reason why there are no beats on her wrist.

Older artificial hearts usually mimic the heart's pulsations.

And the petite Madam Salina, who suffers from end-stage heart failure, would not have been able to use the older and bulkier models because they can only be implanted in patients 1.7m or taller.

The National Heart Centre has implanted four of these new devices since May.

Because the latest model can last longer than its predecessors, possibly for years, it can potentially be used for the long-term support of patients with irreversible heart failure.