It was established in 1977 by Yukihiko Nosé and Paul S. Malchesky, and was originally edited by Willem J. Kolff.

[1] The journal was established in 1977 as the official publication of the newly formed International Society for Artificial Organs (ISAO), a precursor of the International Federation for Artificial Organs.

In 1979, the International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation (ICAOT) was established with Artificial Organs serving as one of its publishing arms.

Over time, the journal became the official publication of several organizations in the field of organ replacement, recovery, and regeneration, with ICAOT functioning as its parent entity.

Subsequently, publishing was taken over by Raven Press from 1983 to 1991, Blackwell Scientific Publications from 1992 to 2008, Wiley-Blackwell from 2008 to 2013, and Wiley from 2014 to the present.