A French company has implanted its first artificial heart, which can beat for up to five years.

Carmat says the operation went smoothly and that the patient was awake and talking.

Previous attempts to create a full, artificial heart have run into problems during human testing.

The implant operation was performed on Wednesday at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, according to the company.

In a statement, it added that the patient was being monitored in the intensive care unit.