A heart in a backpack
Chad Washington, a 35–year-old chef with a wife and a 4-year-old child, has been suffering from heart disease since birth.
Starting at the age of 10 days, he underwent several operations, including implantation of pacemakers and a defibrillator. However, his condition worsened, and in February 2012 a donor heart was transplanted to him.
At first, Washington felt well, but after 6 months he developed a severe graft rejection reaction that did not respond to therapy. An immediate heart transplant from another donor in this case was unacceptable due to the strong immune reaction that developed in his body.
The only way out was the temporary use of a fully artificial SynCardia heart approved in 2004 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The device replaces both ventricles and four heart valves, contributing to the restoration of the patient's vital organs. This, together with the cancellation of immunosuppressive drugs, allows the body to recover, after which it will be possible to attempt a second transplant.
According to the head of the group of surgeons who performed the 7-hour operation, Dr. Murray Kwon, until recently all patients with a completely artificial heart were forced to stay in the clinic until there was a suitable donor organ for transplantation.
The reason for this was the need to connect the implanted device with a bulky external power source.
New technologies have made it possible to connect an artificial heart to a portable power source weighing about 6 kg that fits in a backpack.
After stabilization of the condition with such a backpack on his back, the patient can return home and wait for a suitable donor heart in much more comfortable conditions from a psychological point of view than a hospital ward.
He can even (albeit cautiously) walk and go shopping.
To date, more than 1,000 transplants of a fully artificial SynCardia heart have already been performed, which has provided more than 270 patient years of life.
More detailed information can be found on the company's website.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of California, Los Angeles:
UCLA doctors remove man's heart, replace it with total artificial heart.
14.12.2012