University of Louisville surgeons made medical history yesterday, cutting a damaged heart out of the chest of a terminally ill patient and replacing it with an artificial pump that has no wires to the outside world, according to a unconfirmed report.

The plastic-and-metal heart, called the AbioCor, uses an implanted battery that powers the motor. It recharges from a coil that transfers energy through the skin.

Previous devices required wires and tubes connecting the device with a power source outside the body, exposing the patient to a greatly increased risk of infection.